Misfits
by boylikeme
Summary: AU Story in which Will and Emma raise most of the Glee kids as their own. Most of the characters will pop up.. but knowing myself this will be mostly about Kurt.
1. Chapter 1: EMMA

Emma looked at the messy dinner table and sighed. Minutes ago it had been spotless, shining , so clean she would have eaten off it without even using plates. Right now that was exactly what part of her family was doing. She shuddered as she watched one of her sons lick some sauce off the table's edge.

She could not help but shake her head at the commotion that had become a normal dinner situation for her. It did not seem that long ago that she had felt compelled to clean and polish every piece of fruit she wanted to eat - down to the last tiny grape. Now she sat at a table that was already covered in several large blobs of spaghetti sauce - and was that a piece of bread that just narrowly missed her head?

Emma sat in all this mess and she could not be happier.

She turned to look at her husband Will, she still could not believe that they had gotten married more than 15 years ago and were still going strong. They had met at the school they were both working at. Emma had just started as the new guidance counsellor, Will had been the Spanish teacher for a couple of years and was going through a particularly painful divorce. They had bonded immediately and after months of spending every single lunch together, a couple of weeks after Will's divorce had finally gone through, they had gone on their first date. The date had been a catastrophe , the car had broken down, they had missed the first half of the play they had wanted to see and the bouncer refused to let them in after it had started. To top it all Will had gotten food poisoning from trying the oyster special at Breadstix. They ended up having most of their date in the emergency room of Lima General, but Emma could not remember ever having a better date.

Things had gone fast for them after that, Will had talked her into getting help for her OCD, she had gained a lot of confidence, gotten better at her job and finally even stood up to her mother who had not believed it would be a good idea to marry a man you only met 10 months ago and who had spent most of that time still being married to another woman.

But they had gotten married in a beautiful little ceremony on a beach in Hawaii, bare feet on warm sand, and they had not regretted it once.

They knew they wanted children - lots of them if Will had any say in it - and they had started "working" on it right away. They enjoyed working on it a whole lot, but after almost a year had passed and Emma had still not gotten pregnant they decided to go see doctors. It turned out that Emma could not have children and it had been like a hard punch to the guts for her. She had spent almost 2 weeks in bed just crying her eyes out. Then one day Will had asked her if maybe they should go see a fertility doctor or if maybe adoption might be an option.. But Emma had already made up her mind .

"Will .. I .. I just can't do that."

"It is okay, honey. We do not have to decide on anything now. Take your time."

"No.. I mean.. I know what I want. And I don't want that perfect baby I used to dream of anymore."

"What…. What do you mean?" Will was shocked. Had Emma changed her mind? But he wanted kids, wanted them so badly.

"Will.. I am not perfect. We.. we are not perfect.. we are different… when we met and you were going through that terrible divorce.. And I suffered from my OCD.. We were far from perfect., but we clicked and we helped each other .. And we.. . we are RIGHT, Will."

"We are. I just don't think I understand where you are going with this, babe."

"I want us to be right for a baby, darling. I want us to be right for a baby that is not perfect. I want to help a child other people have turned their backs on."

Emma looked at Will pleading with her big eyes. Begging him to understand. Will just beamed at his wife.

"Oh God, just when I thought couldn't possibly love you any more!"

They had kissed and held each other for a long long time and as soon as they had been able to let go they had started looking into fostering and just weeks later they were registered foster parents and waiting for the call that would finally allow them to give a home to a child that really needed it. A child that really needed them.

The call had come just 2 months later. Did they want a little baby boy? Could they come pick him up right away? They had rushed to the hospital, breaking at least a dozen traffic laws on their way.

And there he had been, the tiniest baby they had ever seen. The little boy had been born to a teenage mother who had been drinking and smoking weed throughout most of her pregnancy, he was too small and he had been suffering from terrible withdrawal. His young mother had not wanted him, had not even asked to see him after he was born. And now here he was, the doctors had helped him through the withdrawal and even though he was too small he was considered healthy for now. But the for now turned out to be a problem, even though the baby was so young and parents all over the states were looking for baby boys to call their own, the doctors could not say much about any long term effects of his difficult start of life, only that there would most certainly be some handicaps this little boy would be facing.

Emma and Will had not cared. They had taken their baby boy and he had felt like their own the very second he was placed in Emma's arms.

Emma looked at her son with love and pride shining in her eyes. The tiny boy had grown into a rather tall teenager, a football player even thanks to years of physical therapy! Yes, he had a lot of troubles concentrating on just one thing and learning was a bit harder for him than it was for a lot of other kids, but Finn Schuester (they had been able to legally adopt him after a year) was absolutely perfect when it came to his parents.

As were his siblings.

Only little over 20 months after Finn was born the Schuesters had gotten another call, another teenage mom had given birth at the same hospital, again she had not been able to stay away from drugs and alcohol and the babies (twins!) had reminded a nurse so much of "tiny" Finn, that she had immediately suggested the Schuesters. Will and Emma had been able to pick up Sam and Brittany just a couple of weeks later.

Emma smiled at the blond twins playfully fighting over the last piece of garlic bread and then splitting it in half with huge smiles on their beautiful faces.

When Finn started school he had immediately become best friends with a boy called Noah Puckerman, the two were absolutely inseparable and Noah soon began spending almost all of his time at the Schuester household. Emma and Will had soon begun suspecting something might be wrong with the Puckerman family, but Noah swore everything was just fine at home, his dad simply worked a lot and his mom was busy with his new born baby sister. When the little boy had turned up covered in bruises at their house, Emma had only been able to nod at Will. The police had to get involved, Mr. Puckerman was sent to prison and after Mrs. Puckerman had declared she did not want to keep her 7 year old son because he was difficult and she and her daughter would be moving to live with her sister in California and there was no way she could take both children - well Will and Emma had not hesitated a second to give Noah a home. He and Finn were 14 now and they still shared the same little room.

Sam and Brittany Schuester were 12 and so was the Schuesters' foster daughter Santana. The beautiful latina had been Brittany's best friend from day one of kindergarten and when the little girls had been eight and Brittany had confessed that her friend had told her her daddy visited her bed at night and touched her in places she did not like being touched - it had taken them only seconds to call authorities and only a few days to give the shy girl a new home.

The youngest member of the family had just recently celebrated his 10th birthday. Artie had lost his parents in a terrible accident that had left the boy paralyzed. Nobody had wanted to adopt the boy but the Schuesters loved him no less than any of his siblings. Yes, he had a lot of doctors appointments because some of the injuries were still bothering him even 4 years after the accident, but Finn and the twins had to attend special classes to make up for their learning disabilities and Puck ( a nickname he had given himself shortly after starting to live with the family) and Santana attended psychotherapy on a regular basis.

Their family was far from perfect when you looked at it from the outside, but on the inside it just could not feel much better.

Emma's smiled faltered when the phone rang and Will started talking in a very calm voice but with a very serious look on his face.

"What's going on, honey?" Emma asked after he hung up and sat back down at the dinner table.

"Yeah dad! What's going on?" All the kids yelled at once.

"How would you guys feel if we took in another child?" Will inquired.

"Tell us about them." Artie asked and all the other kids nodded.

"It is a boy. His name is Kurt and he is 8 years old." Will replied

"Ugh… a baby." Noah grunted, receiving scolding looks from both his parents and 10 year old Artie.

"What is wrong with him?" Brittany asked

"There is nothing wrong with him." Will sighed.

"There must be." Santana said, she had not been the shy little girl anymore for quite some time now. Instead the girl had become quite sassy. "There is something wrong with all of us. That is why Coach Sylvester calls us the Schuester Misfits."

Emma and Will both looked upset at that nickname and Will made a mental note to have a serious talk with their colleague and neighbour.

"Go on, dad. Tell us!" said Finn

"Kurt's mother died a couple months ago. His dad could not cope with the loss and fell into depression.." Will took a deep breath "..he shot himself last week. Kurt found him when he got home from school. He went into shock so he did not call for help. He just laid down next to his father. They were found two days later, after the father's colleagues reported him missing."

"He cuddled with his dead daddy for two days?" Brittany asked, tears shining in her eyes.

"Yes." Will looked at his family.

"But there must haven been so much blood." Noah gulped, he hated the sight of blood, it reminded him of his ld home and his violent father.

"The social worker said the other kids at the home are picking on him because he cries all the time and refuses to speak. That is why they want to place him in a family as soon as possible." Will said.

"When can we go and get him?" Emma breathed.

The whole family looked at Will expectantly.

"Let me go and see if Sue can look after the kids for a bit." Will replied earning a chorus of groans from his children.


	2. Chapter 2: New

Sue agreed to watching the kids for a couple hours and had immediately begun barking orders at the Schuester kids the very second she arrived.

Santana scowled at her parents "All this trouble for yet another boy!"

"Santana… "

"I'm just saying.. Next time you better get a sister for me and Brit and not another of those x-box-idiots."

Will and Emma looked at each other. Next time? They were pretty sure six kids would be enough. But then again they had thought five would be enough, and before that four had sounded like quite a lot.

They just smiled and shook their heads.

Will turned to Sue "We will be back in a couple of hours."

"No worries butt-chin. I've got this under control."

Will was not sure why two of his sons were busy moving the coffee table under Sue's watchful eyes, but he thought he would rather not know. He knew his kids would be alright. Sue had a soft spot for them, even if she would never admit it.

"Go on then!" Sam commanded "Get me a roommate."

Everyone seemed to have silently agreed that the newest addition to the family would be sharing Sam's room. Finn and Puck shared a room and so did Brittany and Santana, Artie was originally supposed to share with Sam, but since all the kids' rooms were on the first and second floors of the house and it had just been too much effort carrying him up there all the time, they had turned a small room on the ground floor into his personal space. Now all the boys loved hanging out there because they had moved the games console into that room after Emma and the girls had complained about the boys hogging the living room all the time.

Emma nudged her husband. "Let's go get him."

They arrived at the home after a drive that took them considerably shorter than it legally should have and smiled at each other. This seemed to be a tradition for them.

They looked up at the large building. It looked friendly enough and they could hear children laughing and shrieking playfully in the distance.

A social worker with very messy hair greeted them.

"I'm sorry." she apologized running some fingers through her damp, blond curls. "We are busy trying to get the younger ones ready for bed."

Emma just smiled and nodded knowingly, while Will was bouncing on his heels, clearly not patient enough to wait much longer.

"My name is Mary." the social worker supplied. "Come on, I'll take you to Kurt."

They went up to the second floor and down a long hall that seemed to have bedrooms on either side of it. They did not see any children, so they assumed these kids were still outside or maybe getting dinner.

Mary entered a room on the right side at the end of the hall.

"Kurt, honey. There are some people here who would love to meet you."

There was no reply and as much as Will strained his neck he could not get a look past Mary who was still standing in the doorway.

But then Mary moved aside and signalled for Emma and Will to enter.

The room housed 2 bunk beds and 2 singles. On a single bed at the opposite end of the room there sat a small boy. The boy had chestnut coloured hair and big blue eyes. His eyes were dry but puffy and his cheeks were stained with drying tears, so he must have been crying recently.

"Hi Kurt, I am Will and this is my wife Emma." he took a few steps towards the bed.

The boy pulled up his legs so his knees came up to his chest. His plaid shorts rode up a bit revealing two scraped knees. He wore a blue buttoned shirt and a bow tie matching his shorts. Will would have never picked an outfit like that for any of his boys but the kid on the bed seemed to be content with it.

As Will moved closer he saw the boys small hands clutching something so hard it turned his knuckles white. It was a pink power ranger action figure. Again something none of the Schuester boys would be caught dead with.

Mary noticed Will looking at it. "He never lets go of it. I think his father gave it to him."

Tears filled the child's eyes at the mention of his daddy and even though he tried fighting it one spilled over and ran down his pale cheek.

"Here." Emma had gone into mother mode the very second she laid eyes on the boy and now moved forward to wipe his face with her handkerchief.

_Kurt was not sure what he was supposed to think of these people. Mary had told him they were coming, she had told him there was a rather big chance they would take him home with them. Kurt did not think he wanted to go home with these strangers. He wanted to go back to his real home. He wanted to go back to living with his mommy and daddy. He wanted to sing and dance along to musicals with his mother and have tea parties with his dad. He wanted his own room and his bicycle with the beautiful ribbons. He wanted to hug his mom and listen to her tell him just how much she loved him and he wanted to fall asleep in his dad's strong arms, with the smell of motor oil surrounding him, making him feel safe. But he was a smart boy, both his parents had kept telling him just how smart he was and he loved that whenever he got an idea his dad would look at him with a smirk on his face saying "Clever thinking, batman!" _

_And as a smart boy Kurt knew he could not go back home. He knew his parents were dead. They were in heaven together, taking good care of each other. Kurt was still mad that they had not thought of taking him to heaven with them, he got really angry thinking about it. He felt so abandoned._

_Just thinking about it made him cry even more and he really did not want to be crying now._

_When he used to cry at home his parents would race each other to comfort him. Here the social workers were usually too busy to even notice and the other kids would make fun of him and call him a cry baby. Some of the boys had turned it into a game trying to find out who could make Kurt cry the most often, the longest or the hardest. They would call him names, shove him or make him trip in the hall, steal his things…. one of them had even tried to steal the pink ranger. Kurt clutched it tighter to his chest just thinking about it._

_So Kurt looked at the couple that wanted to give him a new home. They looked friendly enough. The man looked kind of funny with his weird hair and cleft chin. He wore a striped vest that even an eight year old could tell was hideous and somehow he reminded Kurt of that character from Sesame Street, the one that live with Ernie. Burt! No.. don't go there Kurt. Burt was daddy's name, you are just going to make yourself cry again and then even these people will decide you are not worth it._

_Instead he turned his gaze to the woman. He liked the way she looked. She had hair that resembled his mother's just a few shades lighter and straighter. He also liked the way she dressed. But most of all he liked her eyes, they were big and round, just like Kurt's and they were a deep brown which reminded him of Bambi. Nobody who looked like Bambi would be able to harm a child, right?_

_Kurt decided to give her a tentative smile as she continued drying his cheeks._

Emma beamed back at Kurt when he gave her a tiny smile and Will immediately knew the small boy had just won his wife's heart.

He dealt with the social workers while Emma occupied Kurt, quietly talking to him and stroking his cheeks that were beginning to look just a little rosier. The boy had relaxed some and even let her look at his pink ranger more closely, though never letting go of it.

They silently packed the boy's tiny suitcase. They would be receiving more of his belongings soon.

A couple of boys turned up in the door frame just as they were getting ready to leave.

They were playfully shoving each other and Will heard them mention that "cry baby" was leaving.

Mary asked Kurt if he wanted to say goodbye to his friends.

Friends? Will frowned. The snickering boys were clearly not the sensitive child's friends.

Kurt did not reply and instead chose to hide behind Emma who instinctively held on to his small hand - the one that was not clutching the action figure.

Emma chose to ride in the backseat with Kurt, quietly talking to him for the whole drive, that now took them a little longer. Will would not drive as recklessly with one of his children on board.

One of his - Will had to smile and checked on his wife and new son in the rear view mirror.

The ginger was telling the child about her family, about how she and Will had met at work and how they had chosen to take care of children that really needed them. She told him about her sons and daughters, giving names and ages the poor child was clearly too tired to even think of remembering.

Will caught him politely stiffling a yawn and smiled when he turned his attention back on the quiet streets.

By the time he parked outside of their house both of his companions had fallen asleep, but Emma woke as soon as Will got out of the car. He helped her step out and then carefully lifted the small boy into his arms. Wow… this kid was much lighter than Artie. The boy subconsciously cuddled closer into his arms.

He motioned for his wife to get the suitcase and she did, quietly closing the car doors trying not to wake the sleeping child.

A concern that proved fruitless just a second later as the house entrance door burst open and six people piled onto the pavement.

Sue stepped forward and gave the waking boy a quick look over.

"Welcome, porcelain!" she nodded and left.

_Kurt was confused, he had just woken up and had already been called something he did not quite understand by a strange and intimidating looking woman. He was being held by a man he had just met a couple hours ago and who - sensing the boy was feeling uncomfortable - now carefully lowered him until his feet touched the ground._

_Standing in front of him were five kids. They were all older than him and all eyeing him curiously._

_Kurt felt shy and thought of hiding himself behind Emma again when the tallest boy stepped forward._

_He introduced himself as Finn and told him he was his oldest brother now and would always have his back. Kurt liked this boy. He did not look dangerous and the way he looked kind of clumsy even just standing there amused him. The boy smiled at him and Kurt thought he really liked those dimples._

_A second boy stepped forward, he was a little shorter than Finn, his skin was tanned and he had shaggy dark hair that fell into his eyes. He introduced himself as Puck and stated that he was less than three months younger than Finn and far more badass. If anyone should ever decide to give Kurt a hard time he would be the one to turn to. The boy kissed his own biceps as he said that and Kurt struggled not to laugh._

_Next thing he knew he was enveloped in a bone crushing hug from a pretty blond girl. She told him he was cute and would be allowed to play with her and her toys whenever he wanted. She had then proceeded to introduce a beautiful latina called Santana who had only waved at him._

_A boy in a wheelchair had appeared in front of her at that moment, stating his name was Artie and he and Kurt would be going to the same school so he could come to him whenever he had any questions about teachers or homework._

_All this was far too much information at once for a very exhausted Kurt, he was sure he would not be able to remember all the kids' names by morning. Oh wait - there was one more. A blonde boy crouched in front of him making eye contact._

"My name is Sam. I am twelve and I am Brittany's twin. We will be sharing a room. Would you like me to show it to you?"

Sam held out a hand to his new brother and the whole family seemed to be holding their breaths until the little boy decided to take the offered hand and be led into his new home.


	3. Chapter 3: Introductions

Once inside the house all the Schuester kids began to fight for Kurt's attention. The boys were really keen on getting him into Artie's room to start some kind of tournament to determine the best player at a game they had only received a few days prior.

Santana seemed very content just looking at the new kid and trying to make her mind up about him, which left the little boy blushing under her gaze. And Brittany had suddenly appeared carrying a very large, fat cat, determined to introduce it to her newest family member.

Will and Emma felt sorry for the small boy who was so tired he was literally swaying on his feet.

"Guys.." Will started "This has been a really long day for Kurt, I think we should show him to his room and let him get some sleep, okay?"

"You will have plenty of time to get to know each other tomorrow." Emma added.

Most of the kids agreed, but Brittany demanded to introduce the cat before Kurt fell asleep.

Knowing a discussion would take considerably longer the parents allowed the introduction.

"This is Lord Tubbington." Brittany beamed almost shoving the pet into the boy's pale face.

_Kurt was not quite sure how to react to this. What were you supposed to do when you met a cat? Shake its paws? Pet its head? The nice woman with Bambi's eyes - Emma he corrected himself - seemed to sense his confusion and asked him if he was allergic to cats._

_Kurt was not sure how to answer that. Was he allergic? He did not know. He had never really come close to a cat before. He had played with dogs and he had been sure he had almost talked his daddy into getting him a puppy. But cats - he just did not know. _

_He did not want to upset this family though and he really did not want to be sent back to the home because they feared he might sneeze all over their pets, so he shook his head and petted Lord Tubbington's soft, furry head._

The blond girl giggled happily as the cat started purring "He likes you!"

The family smiled, there was nothing better to lighten the mood than a very happy Brittany.

"Okay kids." Emma began using her firm parenting voice. "It is getting late and Kurt is very tired. I will take him to his room so he can get ready for bed."

Most of the kids nodded and said their "good nights" or "sweet dreams" to their new brother.

Only Sam stayed silent and pouted. He had really wanted to be the one to show his roommate to their room. Being the quietest family member he often felt his wishes go unnoticed and he really hoped to connect to this little boy who spoke even less than he did.

Emma took her youngest child upstairs and showed him where his bedroom and the closest bathroom were located. She smiled when she discovered her older children had already added a new toothbrush and cup to the sink and that fresh sheets had already been put on the bed. She had raised these kids so well.

She tucked the small boy in and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, before plugging a nightlight into a socket by the door, which earned her a grateful smile.

"So you don't stumble and hurt yourself in case you need to get up." She said. "Sleep tight, sweetheart."

_Kurt decided he really liked Emma. He liked the way she looked and smelled and he liked the soft voice she used to speak to him. He especially liked her for giving him the nightlight. He was afraid of the dark but he would never admit that. Then again she had not given him a light because she thought he was afraid, she had been practical and given it to him so he would not stumble. Yes, he liked this woman and her way of thinking._

_He struggled to stay awake for a few minutes. He was scared of falling asleep, he had had a lot of nightmares about finding his daddy and all the blood lately and at the home the other boys had played some evil pranks on him while he was unconscious. Kurt had learned it was better to not be the first to fall asleep. But as hard as fought he just could not stay alert and found himself drifting off to sleep._

When Sam entered his bedroom after a short gaming tournament - which of course had been won by Artie again, Sam suspected the younger boy secretly practiced while the rest of them slept - his new roommate was already fast asleep, hugging the pink power ranger to his chest. Sam got ready for bed as quietly as possible and soon fell asleep himself. He woke to the sound of quiet whimpering coming from the other bed. The little one must have been having a nightmare. The blond boy wondered if he should wake the smaller child or let him sleep through it, but a particularly painful sounding sob made the decision for him. He got out of bed and carefully shook the boy's small shoulders.

Kurt woke up immediately and struggled to free himself from the covers until he was standing upright on his bed with his back against the wall, panting, both hands holding on to the pink action figure.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay." Sam said holding his hands up defensively. "I won't hurt you. I promise."

Big blue eyes were watching him carefully.

"I think you were having a nightmare."

Blue eyes were lowered in shame.

"Hey, That's okay. It's nothing to be ashamed of. All of us get nightmares."

The smaller boy raised his gaze again.

"Well, Brit, Finn and I don't get them that often, but Santana, Artie and even Puck have them pretty regularly."

The smaller boy did not look like he believed what he was hearing.

"It is true. I think it is because you all lost your homes because of some tragic things happening…. and Santana's and Puck's homes weren't that great to begin with."

Kurt looked confused.

"They should tell you themselves. If they want to, okay."

The younger boy nodded and sat down on the bed. He seemed to feel much better. Hiss gaze left the blond boy in front of him and moved to the posters above the boy's bed.

Sam followed his new brother's eyes.

"Those are my favourite movies. Star Wars, Avatar and Pirates of the Caribbean." he pointed at each poster as he gave the title, then moved back to the Avatar poster in the middle and spoke in a language the smaller boy clearly did not understand.

"That's my favourite." he smiled. "Do you like movies?.

The younger child nodded.

"What kind do you like?"

Kurt chewed on his lip, clearly trying to find a way to communicate with the older boy. He pointed at the poster on the right.

"You like pirate movies?"

The smaller boy shook his head and got off his bed to climb onto the other one next to Sam. He pressed his small index finger right to a spot at the bottom of the poster.

"Disney." Sam read. "You like Disney movies?"

The younger one nodded.

"That's cool. The girls own a lot of Disney dvd's I bet they will share them with you" Sam smiled.

"Don't tell her I told you, but most of them are actually Santana's. She loves the princesses but she would kill me if she found out I told you." he laughed.

Kurt smiled.

"Promise not to tell?"

Kurt nodded and when Sam held out his hand he shook it.

They talked a little more after that. Well, Sam did. He told his roommate about all his favourite movies and characters and their actors and he gave little impressions of most of them that made the younger boy giggle. Soon he got tired again and crawled back into his own bed and fell asleep to Sam speaking in some kind of weird foreign language again. The older boy clearly enjoyed having such a patient listener all to himself.

_When Kurt woke up the next morning the house was quiet but it was light outside so he was sure it was not night anymore. Sam was nowhere to be seen, so he found his way to the bathroom and then dressed himself on his own. He sat on his bed for a few minutes unsure of what to do next. What would be expected of him? Should he just wait until somebody came to get him?_

_Curiosity won and he carefully descended the stairs to the ground floor, where Emma was busy cleaning up the kitchen._

"Oh, sweetie! There you are!" the woman smiled. "Did you sleep alright?"

The little boy nodded.

"We did not want to wake you, so you missed breakfast." she stated. "Will and the kids have already left for school. They were really disappointed they did not get to see you before. It is a miracle you managed to sleep through all the commotion. I think they were especially noisy today."

The boy just looked at her.

"You must be hungry, honey." Emma said. "Why don't you come over here and show me everything you like to eat. We can use this day to get to know each other."

And that is exactly what they did. Kurt spent the day pointing at stuff he liked and shaking his head at stuff he did not like, while his foster mother told him more about the family.

While they were baking cupcakes together - something Kurt obviously enjoyed and seemed to have done before, because he knew all the necessary utensils and ingredients - Emma told him about school. It had been decided that since summer holidays would be starting in just two days Kurt would not start at his new school until after summer. This would leave him with plenty of time to adjust to his new family.

Emma was not sure how to entertain the little boy all day, but that seemed to be no problem as the child soon began striking a friendship with Lord Tubbington and playing with the cat on the living room floor.

When it was time for Emma to start the dinner preparations the boy had sat down with some blank sheets of paper and seemed to be concentrating hard on drawing something.

When Will and the kids burst through the doors the youngest family member walked up to Brittany and handed her a drawing of a very fat and annoyed looking cat.

"Oh my God! That's so Lord Tubbington!" The blond girl squealed.


	4. Chapter 4: Destinations

All of the kids surrounded their sister trying to get a closer look at the picture. Even Santana managed to sneak a glance but tried to appear unimpressed while hiding a smile behind a strand of her hair.

While he was still checking out the drawing Sam noticed something tuck on his arm. He looked down and Kurt stood next to him offering him another sheet of paper. It was a drawing of a blond boy standing in a group of blue people.

"Awesome!" Sam smiled at the younger boy.

Finn looked at the second picture "Dude.. you're like talented or something!"

"So do we all get one, or what?" Puck asked

_Kurt wrinkled his forehead in concentration and chewed on his lip. Drawing Lord Tubbington had been easy, the cat did not move much at all and in all honesty was just one big ball of fur. Choosing Brittany to give the picture to had been the obvious thing to do and he had really wanted to do something for Sam since he had helped him after his nightmare. The one thing he knew about Sam was that he loved movies and blue people. He did not really know anything about the other children yet, but he did not want to disappoint them either. _

_The small boy headed back to the coffee table he had been drawing at and grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil He walked back holding both items out to Puck._

"Uhm… what now?" the tanned teen asked.

Will brushed some of the dark hair out of his son's face - damn you hardly ever got to see the boy's eyes.

"I think he is taking orders, kiddo."

Everyone looked at Kurt who just smiled and nodded.

_Ten minutes later Kurt returned to the coffee table with a list. Puck wanted a drawing with a motorcycle, while Finn had chosen a football theme and Artie had asked to be a rock star. Santana had not wanted a picture and Kurt hoped he had not upset her somehow. He would have to worry about that later though, not wanting to waste time he proceeded to start on a drawing right away. Okay- how exactly does one draw a motorcycle? _

_He was still busy thinking about that when he noticed the dad - Will - kneel down next to him._

"Hey, buddy. Why don't you take a break? I think Emma prepared a lovely dinner for us."

Dinner turned out to not only be very tasty, but also a fun and loud affair as all of the kids tried to think of questions Kurt could answer by nodding or shaking his head. Especially the boys kept trying to come up with increasingly more interesting and sometimes plain weird questions, laughing at almost every new idea. Kurt did not even have time to answer most of them before one came up with a better one and everybody began giggling uncontrollably.

After dinner the family settled down in the living room to watch a movie. Kurt was chosen to be the one to pick the movie, but the little boy was too shy and shook his head.

All of the older kids immediately began giving reasons why they should be the one to choose.

"We will let Kurt pick the person to choose, okay. It was his turn after all." Emma said handing the remote control to the young boy.

The older children all looked at their newest family member with eager eyes. The only one who did not look at him at all was Santana and everybody was surprised when the boy chose her to give the remote control to.

_Kurt half expected the latina to refuse the device but she accepted it with a small smile and walked over to the shelf. She took her time picking a dvd, obviously trying to appear like she did not care too much. She finally picked a movie, put it into the dvd player and sat on the floor next to Kurt who had settled down in front of Emma's place on the couch._

_The movie was called "Labyrinth" and Kurt enjoyed it because it had cute characters (he loved the worm and Didymus) and songs._

_He looked at Santana a few times throughout and caught her lips moving along with the heroines dialogue more than once. Her eyes were shining with tears as she said "You have no power over me" and Kurt took her hand and squeezed it which earned him a smile._

When it was time to go to bed the children (minus Artie) went upstairs still singing goblin songs.

None of the kids had any nightmares that night.

_The next morning Kurt woke up early enough to have breakfast with his new family before the older kids left for the last day of school. He started on his drawings right away, wondering what he should draw for Emma and Will once he finished the pictures for his new brothers. The drawings for Puck and Finn were finished soon and Kurt began thinking about just what kind of rock star Artie would be._

"Hey sweetie." Emma interrupted his thoughts. "We need to get some groceries and then we can go pick up Will and the kids from school, is that okay?"

An hour later Emma was busy putting the groceries into her car, smiling happily. She could not have asked for things to go much better. Kurt seemed to be adapting icredibly well to his new family and all of her older kids really seemed to like the silent boy. Plus she finally had a child that actually enjoyed shopping with her.

" I will be right back, honey. Wait here, okay." she said and left to return the shopping cart.

When the ginger woman walked back to her car the little boy was nowhere to be seen.

_Kurt had not meant to disobey, he had not planned to walk away from his new guardian like that. He had been standing next to the car, holding his power ranger and taking in all the unfamiliar buildings. He knew they had not driven far from their house, it was probably possible to walk here if you did not plan on buying anything heavy. He turned in the direction he thought they had come from - and then he had seen it. There was a bus parked right on the opposite side of the parking lot and the boy had just felt himself being drawn towards it._

"Kurt!"

Emma was panicking, of course she had lost sight of her children before, it was almost inevitable with how reckless Finn and Noah could get, but the panic still hit just as hard.

"Kurt!"

Where could he be? If it were Finn she would go and check the ice cream van, Puck would probably be trying to impress the older boys on the street corner, Artie would be playing a computer game and the girls would be in the aisle with the magazines. Sam would be sitting in the electronics section watching television.

But Kurt? She just did not know him well enough yet. And what if the child had gotten lost and could not tell people where he belonged? What if someone had taken him?

Emma's vision was already going blurry with tears when she spotted a bus at the other hand of the lot and her heart skipped a beat when she read its destination.

Oh no!

Emma ran.

She ran as fast as she could but the bus drove off before she could reach it - revealing a small, crying boy clutching a pink power ranger standing on the sidewalk behind the bus stop.

"Kurt!"

Emma fell to her knees and hugged the child as close as possible.

"Oh, sweetie. You scared me so bad."

Emma held the crying child close, rubbing his back, trying to calm him.

"Shhh…. It's okay, it's okay."

She rocked the boy until the sobs subsided.

"That bus was going to your old home, wasn't it, baby?"

_Kurt nodded, he felt bad for scaring Emma so much. He really had not meant to, he just had not been thinking. He allowed her to lead him back to the car and when they got home he tried to be especially helpful in putting all their purchases away._

Afterwards they both took some time to freshen up, which mostly meant washing the dried tears of both their faces. They shared a small snack and then it was time to go and meet the rest of the family.

"We won't tell them about our little scare, okay?" Emma said.

They went to Artie's school first. A pretty asian girl was pushing the boy's wheelchair across the schoolyard.

"Hello, Tina." Emma greeted her. "How are you?"

"I'm g-g-good Mrs. Shue. T-T-Thanks."

"Do you have any plans for summer?"

"M-My parents are sending me to asian c-camp."

"Oh. Well, that sounds fun. Just know that you will always be welcome at our house, okay."

"I-I know." the asian girl smiled.

Artie introduced his friend to his new little brother and she seemed to like the little boy a lot. She gave him a friendship bracelet she had made herself and the younger boy beamed while she fastened it to his wrist.

"P-P-Pink like your ranger."

They left to pick up Santana and the twins next. The kids were already waiting for them, the girls watching Sam and another boy try some complicated looking dance moves. Sam's friend was really good.

"Hello Mike." Emma said

"Hey Mrs. Shue." the boy smiled.

"And you must be Kurt. Sam told me everything about you. He says you are an aspiring artist and I can already tell you I would love a drawing of me dancing on a big stage."

Kurt blushed and hid behind Sam.

"Will you be visiting us a lot this summer, Mike?"

"As often as I can, but my parents are sending me to camp for 2 weeks."

"Well, we will be looking forward to your return then."

"Where are Finn and Puck?" Artie asked

"They went over to the high school, daddy is giving them a tour." Brittany supplied

The high school was just across the lot so the family said goodbye to Mike and just walked over. Santana held Kurt's hand.

When they entered the building a tall woman with dark curly hair stopped their mother and hugged her close.

"Emma, so good to see you!" her voice boomed

"Thank you very much,, Shannon."

"And is this going to be another future member of my football team?" the coach looked at Kurt.

"Leave the kid alone, Bieste. He is obviously going to be one of my star cheerios." A familiar looking woman wearing a red track suit stated.

She looked at Kurt.

"Porcelain, stick close to Brit and Santana. I have already taught them the most important rules."

_Kurt chose to hide behind his siblings until the woman left, she was kind of scary and he really did not think he ever wanted to join a football team or become a cheerleader._

_He only perked up when he thought he could hear Finn's voice. The tall teen walked around the corner at that very moment, followed by Puck, their father and two girls. One girl was a very pretty blond, the other one was a tiny brunette with a very loud voice, who kept suggesting opening a club to Will._

_Kurt thought her sweater was hideous and he wondered if she was the girlfriend of one of his new brothers. _

"Hello, my name is Rachel Berry." she introduced herself to Kurt

Santana rolled her eyes before letting go of his hand and walking over to talk to the blond girl next to Puck.

"Do you like singing?" Rachel asked.

_Kurt shrugged. He actually loved singing but right now he did not even like to speak so singing was not an option._

"I am trying to talk your father into coaching a glee club at this school. A club I am sure you would be able to benefit from in a few years." she pointedly looked at Will

"I told you I will think about it, Rachel." Will mumbled

"Well, we will have all summer to talk about it." Rachel beamed

"Rachel lives just down the street" Artie informed Kurt.

_Kurt was not sure what to think of this girl or the fact she had just called Will his father, but he had the feeling correcting her would be fruitless even if he was going to speak._

_The beautiful blonde now stepped in front of Rachel and smiled at him._

"This is Quinn." Puck introduced the girl without taking his eyes off her face.

"Hi, cutie." Quinn smiled and kissed Kurt's cheek leaving both the pale child and his new brother blushing.

_Kurt guessed Quinn was not Puck's girlfriend but he would probably really like her to be. He also caught Santana watching her every move. This girl seemed to be as popular as a disney princess._

The family said goodbye to the pretty blonde and piled into the parents' cars to drive home. They gave Rachel a lift and Will had begged his wife to have the brunette girl ride with her.

_Kurt soon realised why, this girl just never stopped talking. Did she even breathe? He was shocked to find out she had two dads, he had not thought that was possible. By the end of the ride he decided he kind of liked her enthusiasm - okay, maybe she had bribed him through attaching a gold star to his power ranger's chest._

The family spend the evening playing several board and card games but everyone kept accusing Puck of cheating, which he probably was, he just hid his gaze behind his shaggy hair so well.

_Kurt was happy to get another night of good sleep, but he heard that Puck had had a bad nightmare which left the older boy grouchy all morning._

_The pale child still found himself watching his two oldest brothers play basketball in the driveway._

_A few minutes into the game the ball just narrowly missed the little boy's head._

"Dude! Watch out!" Finn yelled.

"Oh shit! Are you okay?" Puck knelt down next to Kurt.

The younger boy nodded.

"You know this silent thing is getting really frustrating."

"PUCK!"

"Come on, Finn. I know you think so, too. Why can't he just talk to us"

The shaggy haired boy looked Kurt in the eyes.

"You can trust us."

The smaller boy just looked down.

"Please talk to us."

"Puck…leave him…"

"No! He can talk. I can get him to talk."

"Noah.."

"NO!"

_Puck's hand shot out and before Kurt realised what was happening the taller boy had freed the action figure from his hands and was holding it above his head._

"Want it back? You only have to say a word."

"Puck."

"Shut up, Finn. I want to hear Kurt"

The smaller boy looked up at his toy with tears in his eyes, but instead of trying to reach it or asking for it - he turned around and ran.

"That was so uncalled for, dude." Finn accused

"I really thought I could get him to talk." Puck sighed

By the time their mother called them for dinner Kurt was still nowhere to be found.

**AN: Thanks to everyone for the nice reviews. This is my first story and I really thought I would be getting some hate for it. The story is kind of writing itself in my head, so feel free to keep suggesting things, but most of the characters and their personalities are pretty much set. The only one I have not quite made my mind up about yet is Lauren.**

**I know we all miss Mercedes, she will be very important to Kurt, don't worry, but he will only meet her once he starts school. **

**I also hope Kalexico noticed the little nod I gave her there.**


	5. Chapter 5: Home

The family had already searched their house and garden twice by the time Sue Sylvester and the Berry's joined them. Shannon Beiste, Quinn, Tina and Mike arrived only a little later and everyone spread out to search the neighbourhood.

Emma was sobbing the whole time and Puck looked like he was going to throw up at any second. He was still holding the pink power ranger which earned him a number of accusing glares from the other children.

It was now four hours since they had last seen the boy and the family and friends began to despair.

"Finn, please. Try and remember. Which direction did he run off to?" asked Will

"I'm so sorry, dad. I really don't know. I was busy yelling at Puck."

The tanned teen hung his head low but he could feel the stares prickle his skin.

"I don't get it." Artie said "I mean, it's not like he has anywhere to go, right?"

"Oh my God!" Emma gasped

"What is it, honey?" Will put his arm around her.

"The grocery store!"

"What?"

"I took him to the grocery store and there was this bus and it was going to his hometown. I thought I had lost him and then he was there crying and we were both so scared!"

The woman spoke so fast her family and friends were hardly able to understand her.

"We have to go look for him at that bus stop!"

The children took off running, Sam pushing Artie in his wheelchair, while the adults piled into Will's car. When they arrived at the stores and found the bus stop there was no sign of the boy.

Emma began sobbing again, the fresh spark of hope dying quickly.

"The last bus to Kurt's old home left an hour ago." Will said reading the timetable

"Do you think he took it?"

"He is so tiny , wouldn't people have wondered why he was on his own?"

"Does he even have money?"

"Emma, I think you should take the children home. I am going to drive to Kurt's old house just in case."

Emma nodded. "I will look up the exact address at home and text it to you, okay?"

"Daddy, please." Puck's voice cracked.

Will was shocked, he had never heard the tough kid call him daddy before.

"Please, let me come with you."

Will nodded and the two of them drove off.

The father was torn between racing to get to a child that most certainly needed him and driving calmly to keep the son sitting next to him safe.

He kept stealing glances at Noah. The boy was still hanging his head, dark hair covering his eyes, but his cheeks were wet so Will could tell he was crying.

"Don't blame yourself, kiddo."

"But it is my fault, dad. I did this." The boy was still holding the action figure.

"You did not mean for this to happen though, did you? You only meant well…."

"And fucked up yet again." the teen interrupted.

"Son, you can't keep thinking so low of yourself."

"But why not? I am always the one to screw things up. My dad was right about me. I'm useless."

Will winced, feeling the boy's pain. He had never opened up like this before. At least not towards his foster parents. Will secretly hoped he talked to the other kids and of course his therapist.

"It is going to be alright. We will find Kurt and you will be able to make it up to him."

"But how?" Noah's voice cracked again.

"You will be the best big brother he could possibly ask for."

_Kurt was not quite sure how he had got here. He had been watching his new brothers play and then suddenly Puck had been right in his face, ordering him to speak and he had felt like he was choking._

_When the older boy had taken his toy something in him had broken, that fragile feeling of security had come crashing down, hitting him in the face as one big lie._

_He knew he had no chance of taking the ranger from the taller boy and he did not want to listen to their taunts while he was trying hopelessly._

_So he had just turned and run. He ran as fast as his short legs would take him, not bothering to check the direction. And then things had started to look familiar and he had found himself in front of the grocery store._

_He had seen the bus, the one that was going home to where he had lived with his mommy and daddy, where he had been happy._

_The bus driver had been dozing in his seat, both doors open to let in some fresh air. Kurt had climbed on board and curled up on a seat in the back row. _

_People soon began filing in, exhausted from a long day of work and eager to get home to their loved ones. Nobody seemed to notice the little boy, or maybe they all assumed he belonged to someone on board._

_Kurt stepped off at a bus stop that was close to his old school and started walking to his parents' house. He passed his daddy's garage, the sign still reading "Hummel's Tires & Lube" but he did not want to go inside because he knew his daddy would not be there._

_When he came to the house he was not sure what to do. Everything still looked the same, yet it felt so different. He knew his mommy and daddy were not waiting for him inside and he did not have his key to enter on his own. He finally settled on the front porch, curled into a ball and cried himself to sleep_.

"Okay, it should be right around here." Will slowed the car and finally parked in front of a house with a mailbox that said "Hummel".

Father and son noticed the small body on the porch at exactly the same time. They both rushed to get out but Noah stopped his dad.

"Please, daddy. Let me fix this?"

Will nodded and squeezed the boy's shoulder.

"I am going to call your mom and siblings."

Puck approached the porch carefully.

"Hey"

The small boy on the floor stirred and looked up. He raised his knees to his chest and moved so his back was up against the wall.

"Please don't be scared." the older boy gulped.

"I am really sorry. So very sorry!"

He held the pink power ranger out to Kurt.

"I think he missed you."

The pale kid hugged the toy to his chest.

"Can we talk? I mean, you don't have to say a word. Just listen, please?"

The younger boy nodded hesitantly.

"You know, when I joined the Schuester family I was only a little younger than you are now. My parent's aren't dead though. They just did not want me anymore."

He watched the other boy gasp.

"My dad beat me up almost every other day. He told me I was a useless piece of shit and that I would never amount to anything."

Noah swallowed visibly.

"My mom just did not care. Nobody seemed to care, except for the Schuesters. They took me in when nobody else wanted me. They gave me home, a family, a safe place."

He looked at the other boy.

"They want to give that to you, too. I know they will be doing a great job at it. And I know I messed up today. I really regret what I did. Don't let that stop you from trusting them, please. They are awesome parents and I bet the girls are going to spoil you rotten and Artie, Sam and Finn are the best brothers ever."

He looked deep into the big blue eyes.

"I would be really happy if you gave me the chance to be a good big brother, too. I am so sorry for upsetting you. I was only trying to help, you know, I just did it all wrong. I thought if I got you to talk things would be easier for you and …."

Puck took a deep breath.

"I thought they would all be so proud of me. I would have finally achieved something."

The teen looked down, hiding his teary eyes behind his hair, he was surprised when he suddenly felt a small hand pat his knee comfortingly.

Noah smiled.

"We got to stick together you know. All of us - but especially you, me Artie and Santana. I know things are difficult for Finn and the twins as well, they have all these learning disabilities and extra classes… and they never knew their parents so they often wonder where they come from. Finn told me he sometimes wonders if his mom would recognise him if she passed him on the street.

But they don't miss their parents like we do, they never met them, they don't know anything else."

The teen scanned the street, his dad was still waiting in the car.

"I am not asking you to forget this place. Keep it in your heart. Keep your parents in your heart, I heard they were good to you."

Kurt nodded, tears running down his pale cheeks.

"But maybe we can have a place in your heart as well? And I promise you can always come to me if you need anything. We have to be there for each other when we start missing our old homes."

_Kurt wondered why Puck would miss his old home, his parents sounded like horrible people. They must be the reason for the older boy's nightmares. But then he thought he had always loved his parents, even when his daddy would scold him or take away his television when he had not behaved._

_Maybe you just could not help loving your parents? And maybe Puck's parents had been nice to him from time to time? He was so lost in thought that he must have missed the other boy asking him a question, because he was now looking at him like he was waiting for something. Kurt bit his lower lip._

Noah sensed the younger child's confusion.

"I asked if you think you might be able to forgive me? You don't have to do it right away. I know I messed up. So.. I thought we could go home and you could punish me. I took your toy so you can take something that is mine and keep it for a day. I would even let you take my guitar and I really love that one."

_Kurt thought about it for a minute and noticed the older boy lower his gaze nervously._

_He reached out and brushed the dark hair out of his new big brothers face._

"Forgive me?"

Kurt nodded.

Puck beamed and crouched down in front of his little brother, offering a piggy back ride.

"Well, come on then, ranger. Let's go home!"

_Kurt happily climbed onto Puck's back, he had not received a piggy back ride in a long time and he really liked the attention. When they neared the car Will got out and the small boy allowed himself to be pulled into the man's arms._

"Everybody is so happy that we found you, buddy."

_Kurt offered the man a shy smile and turned in his arms to cast one last look at the house. He gasped when he noticed something standing next to the porch._

"Is that your bike, bro?" Puck asked.

When Kurt nodded the older boy went to get the bike and even managed to put in the trunk all by himself. Thankfully large families have huge cars.

Will smiled at his sons.

"Come on, boys. Let's go home."

The father would soon have to return to the house. They needed to get more of their new child's clothes and maybe some valuables and photos. The house legally belonged to Kurt now and as his guardian he would have to make some decisions about its future. But for now he just wanted to get his children home and unite his family. Emma and the other kids must be waiting impatiently.

When they finally arrived back home - Will had had to stop the car twice threatening to let his older son walk home if he did not stop teaching his little brother rude jokes - everybody was already waiting outside and they all fought about who got to hug Kurt the most.

When things calmed down a little Puck and Kurt excused themselves, the older boy stating they had "some business to attend to".

_They went to Puck and Finn's room where Kurt got to admire the boy's guitar. He enjoyed running his small fingers over it and his brother offered to teach him how to play._

"I already taught Sam and Artie and they are really good"

Noah looked at his beloved guitar again.

"So, do you want to take it?"

_Kurt shook his chestnut haired head and grabbed the older boy by his hand, leading him to the parents' bathroom and to his punishment._

_When the two brothers emerged back in the living room the whole family gasped._

"_Oh my God, Noah! Is that a mohawk?" _


	6. Chapter 6: Summer

There had been screams and cheers - and quite a few tears on Emma's side - nobody could believe that Puck had gotten rid of his trademark mop of hair.

Santana told him he looked like an idiot but she had not been able to hide her grin.

"I look totally badass!" Puck replied, blushing at Quinn's resulting giggle.

"Dude, I can't believe you let him do that!" said Finn.

"I trust him." Puck stated hugging his newest brother to his side.

_Kurt blushed. He allowed his family to pull him into another round of hugs and giggled out loud when Sam told him he trusted him, too, but he would not allow him to keep razors or scissors in their shared room from now on._

Emma loved hearing her youngest child's melodic giggle chime across the room. All of the adults and older kids could not help but smile at the wonderful sound. All her kids were smiling and hugging, taking turns in running their fingers over Puck's new haircut. She wrapped her arms around Will and sighed happily while he pressed a gentle kiss to her head.

"How did we get this lucky?"

Will laughed.

"You won't be saying that the next time one of them is sick all over your clothes, or the next time Brit decides to have another cooking experiment or the boys start using the super soakers inside the house again. And just think - we have not entered the world of teenage rebellion and boy and girl troubles completely yet."

Emma knew this was true. Of course Finn and Puck had had their first dates with girls, but those were innocent events. She figured the worst was yet to come and she did not even want to picture what was ahead of them once they had seven teenagers in the house.

She looked up at her husband.

"Are you trying to scare me?"

Will looked at her with warm eyes.

"Just thinking we should arm ourselves for some battles ahead."

He chuckled and the ginger woman could not help but laugh with him. It almost sounded a little hysterical.

"Did we upset you, mom?"

Noah and Kurt stood before them.

"No, honey. Don't worry."

Emma kissed her son's shaved head causing the boy to smile.

"Totally rocks, right?"

"Totally." she replied running her fingers through Kurt's chestnut hair.

The young boy allowed her to pull him in for a cuddle.

"Let's celebrate!" Will said.

The Berry family appeared carrying a bedazzled karaoke machine and everyone soon found themselves in a very spontaneous and happy celebration.

All the kids (except for Kurt) and even the adults (except for Sue Sylvester) took their turns singing.

Kurt just spun giddily next to his siblings, dancing until he could not stay upright any longer. All the kids tried to fight sleep as long as they could, but it had been a long day and the exhaustion took it's toll. They soon cuddled up on the couches, leaving only the Berry family to sing.

Kurt fell asleep during Rachel's sixth Barbra Streisand ballad and Will carried him upstairs and tucked him in.

_The Schuester family had a pretty good summer that year. Kurt adapted amazingly well and was surprised that even after weeks he would still learn new things about his siblings and their friends every day._

_He learned that Puck had a little sister Kurt's age that he had not seen since she was a baby._

_He discovered that Brittany had a strange obsession with cheese and Sam was terrified of moths._

_Artie secretly played video games at night when he could not sleep (Kurt had joined him more than once after particularly vivid nightmares) and Santana was hiding quite a lot of make up under her bed even though Emma had told the girls they would not be allowed to use any until they were 14, she had to tell the boys, too, a day later, because they just had not been able to resist demonstrating how she could not exclude any child from any given rule.. _

_Finn was addicted to fast food but could not sleep when he ate after 7pm._

_Quinn had been both Puck's and Finn's first kiss but she had never committed to being the girlfriend of either of them._

_Rachel Berry had a huge crush on Finn that everybody knew about but her first kiss had been with Puck. _

_Brittany and Santana usually slept in the same bed because it helped keeping Santana's nightmares at bay. _

_Tina developed a crush on Mike when they went to Asian camp. _

_Instead of becoming a teacher Will had dreamed of being a Broadway star and Emma was an author for a firm that published a lot of the pamphlets she kept in her office._

_It is surprising how willing people were to trust you with their secrets when you did not speak._

_Kurt enjoyed spending time with his new family, he had never had siblings before and it was nice to always have someone around who was willing to play with him. He had been such a lonely child before._

_Puck tried to teach him how to play guitar, but the young boy soon discovered that he enjoyed piano lessons with Will a whole lot more. He would also spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen with Emma, learning how to cook, something the mother had never managed to encourage any of her other children to do - well, except for Brittany and it just seemed safer not to encourage her too much._

_Finn tried to teach him everything about football and basketball but the newest family member preferred joining Brittany, Santana and Quinn when they practiced cheerleading moves. He always managed to mysteriously disappear when Coach Sylvester commented across the fence though._

_On those days he would just join Mike and Sam - and increasingly more often Tina - dancing in the living room. Tina still admired Mike but the boy seemed oblivious. She would often confess those feelings to Kurt while they crafted new friendship bracelets together, there were now 6 on each of their slender arms. Kurt would not comment, he knew Artie liked the girl and he really did not want to see his brother sad._

They had decided not to go on vacation, firstly because organising it and finding a place all children could agree on seemed impossible and secondly, because they wanted to give Kurt the chance to adjust to his new living situation and family. But towards the end of their summer holidays everyone seemed to be growing more and more restless, so they all gathered in the living room discussing day trip destinations. Kings Island and Boomerang Bay were instant favourites. They booked hotel rooms for one night so they would have a full day in each park.

The car ride was seriously testing Will's patience. He had rented a van for the occasion so he could fit his whole family into one vehicle and he soon began seriously regretting it. Emma sat next to him in the passenger seat trying to appear relaxed, but he could tell things were getting to her, too.

Behind them Sam and Artie were trying to soothe poor Kurt who sat between them barfing into the now second bag of the ride. In the back row Puck and Santana were fighting noisily while Finn snored loudly and Brittany requested to have a restroom stop for the what seemed like the tenth time. Sometimes having a lot of children was just plain exhausting.

The receptionist looked at Will and Emma without trying to hide the pity in his eyes. They looked horrible.

"Welcome Mr and Mrs Schuester."

He then spotted the seven boys and girls and grimaced.

"Here are the keys to your rooms:"

All the kids gave him the evil eye. The older ones were already used to the prejudice large families faced.

Emma and Will fell onto their surprisingly comfortable bed and decided they never wanted to get up again. Puck and Finn took a quick look at their shared room, as did Sam, Artie and Kurt, but all the kids soon met up in the girls' room to start a rather legendary pillow fight. The fight ended up costing their parents almost 200 dollars and almost got them all grounded from going to the parks but as Puck said it was "totally worth it".

They soon headed to Kings Island. Where the older kids began fighting over which ride they should go on first.

Will looked at his wife.

"Let me strangle just one?"

Emma laughed.

"Let's go sit down for some coffee. I think they can handle themselves on their own for a bit."

They made the older children promise to look after their two youngest brothers and the two groups went their separate ways.

Artie and Kurt soon learned that their siblings' promise and loyalty only went as far as the height charts allowed them to go on the same rides. The two boys more and more often found themselves waiting for their brothers and sisters to return.

"Ugh… this totally sucks." Artie groaned.

Kurt nodded.

"Why don't we go exploring on our own for a bit?"

_Kurt shook his head. He had already disappeared twice during his short stay with the family and he just did not think he could do that to Emma again._

"Come on. Did you see that queue? They are going to be gone forever! They won't even notice, I promise we will be back in time."

_The younger boy bit his lower lip. He did want to go exploring with his brother, but he did not want to make himself a reputation as the disappearing boy._

"Let's just go over there." Artie pointed to some food stalls.

"I will buy you a milkshake and we will be back in no time."

Buying milkshakes led to getting popcorn, which led to checking out souvenirs and the boys soon lost track of time.

They eventually stumbled across what looked like a small theatre and as the sun was blazing down on them they could not pass the option of hiding in the shade for a bit.

A performance was just about to start. The theatre was soon packed to its limits and the crowd cheered as the lights went down and the stage was filled with people dancing and singing.

Both boys smiled and clapped along.

While Artie and Kurt enjoyed the performance their siblings returned from a thrilling rollercoaster ride.

"Dude, that totally rocked."

"Yeah. You think we should go again?"

"Oh, please. There's still so many rides we have not tried yet. We should not settle for one until we made sure there's nothing better."

"I agree with Santana."

"Surprise, surprise.."

Santana slapped Puck hard across his arm.

"Ouch! That hurt."

"Good. It was supposed to."

"Stop fighting guys!"

Everybody turned to look at Sam.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Everyone still just stared.

Sam sighed.

"This is the exact place we left Artie and Kurt. The place we were supposed to meet them again?"

From the looks on their faces something seemed to dawn on the older children,

"Oh my, God!"

"Where are they?"

"Have we lost them?"

"Mom and dad are so going to kill us!"

They looked around and shouted the younger boys' names at the top of their lungs, but there was no sign of their little brothers.

"We are dead!"

"And we are meeting mom and dad in just fifteen minutes!"

"Okay. Let's stay calm."

"Calm? We lost our kid brothers and we will probably never be allowed to see daylight again!"

"Yes, calm. Lets split up. Brit and Santana you go looking down that way. Puck you check the food stalls. Finn you go that way and I will go down that way."

"Why does Puck get to go to the food stalls?" Finn pouted.

"Because we will have to be back at the designated meeting point in just ten minutes and God be with us if mom and dad get there before we find the little ones!"

Everyone split up and ran.

_Kurt really enjoyed the show. The performers were dressed in bright and colourful, yet tasteful costumes and he knew a lot of the songs they were singing which had a kind of comforting effect._

_During the last song - the lyrics were about flowers, but he could not remember the song title - the singers left the stage and walked through the crowd handing out plastic roses._

_A young boy with dark, curly hair, probably only a little older than Kurt himself stopped in front of the blue-eyed boy. He smiled a very infectious smile at him and offered him a rose. Kurt blushed and accepted the rose while Artie immediately thought of a dozen ways to tease the boy about it later._

The older children one by one arrived at the designated meeting point, none had caught even a glimpse of their younger brothers and they all looked like they were about to be sick.

"I just can't believe this. Mom and dad will be here in just two minutes!"

Puck decided to climb a lamppost to get a better overview. To his right he could see a large crowd exiting what looked like a theatre. To his left he could spot his mother's ginger hair in the distance, approaching at a steady pace.

"EEK! What do we do? What do we do?"

He looked back towards the crowd, briefly wondering if they would manage to escape and hide between all the people - but then he saw them. Two young boys, one in a wheelchair, the other one carrying what looked like a rose next to his pink power ranger.

"There they are! I can see them!" he pointed towards the crowd.

All of the older kids tried to get to Artie and Kurt, but they could not make their way through all the people.

"Artie! Kurt!"

The younger boys spotted their siblings but were faced with the same problem.

"Oh, no! We are supposed to meet our parents in a minute! We have to get to the others!" Artie yelled.

"Please move. Let us through." All of the Schuester kids begged.

And then the older kids could only watch in horror as Kurt seemed to faint in the crowd.

"MOVE! MOVE! LET US PASS! THAT'S OUR BABY BROTHER!"

The older kids finally made it to a giggling Artie and proudly smiling Kurt.

"What the.."

"He faked it.. . so you could get through to us."

"Dude, that's so…."

"Clever! You are so clever!"

Kurt smiled and nodded.

"I am batman." He whispered barely audible.

All of the older children gasped.

**AN: Sorry for the long wait. **

**I know people keep asking me to include a song, but I just can't write them randomly bursting into one. Don't have it in me. Maybe I will start including songs once they start glee club.**

**People have also been asking for Blaine so I decided to give you a little teaser here, that was not originally planned. I will probably not have Blaine show up again until Kurt can fully appreciate him.. hehe**


	7. Chapter 7: Lessons

"OH MY GOD!"

"KURT!"

"YOU SPOKE!"

All of the older Schuester kids were incredibly excited.

"Say something else!" Finn demanded.

Puck turned to his roommate and raised an eyebrow.

_Kurt blushed and looked at his feet. He had not consciously made the decision to speak, it had not been a moment he had been waiting for or planned in any way. It had just happened. And now, with all of his siblings looking at him, in a strange environment and with hundreds of people around - he could not help but feel terribly insecure and self-conscious._

Santana stepped next to her little brother and took his ranger-free hand.

"Leave him alone, guys. He will speak when he wants to."

The other kids seemed torn between their excitement and giving their little brother some air to breathe.

Will and Emma chose that very moment to arrive.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Kurt spoke, mommy and daddy!" Brittany squealed. "He has a very pretty voice."

Kurt blushed even harder.

"Is that true, honey? You spoke?" Emma asked.

Kurt just hid in his sister's arms.

"It is true. We all heard it." Artie said.

"Yeah. He's batman." Finn added in a very confused tone.

Both parents felt a tiny jab to their hearts as they realised they had just missed their child speaking for the first time. It seemed like such an important step in his development and recovery.

"Well, we are really proud of you, buddy." Will said. "And nobody is going to make you talk if you don't want to. No pressure. Just do what feels right, okay?"

The little boy peeked out from under Santana's arm and nodded.

"How about some ice cream?" Emma asked trying to sound as cheerful as possible.

All of the kids cheered and the family went back to the food stalls.

After everyone had gotten their favourite flavour and they had almost driven the poor girl behind the counter crazy, they all settled on some benches.

_Kurt could feel all of them repeatedly sneaking glances at him. He knew they were waiting for him to speak again, all of them scared to miss it this time - or again in Will's and Emma's case._

_He did not want to disappoint them, but he could not think of anything to say and even if he could _have_ - his throat felt parched and tight and he was hardly able to enjoy the chocolate ice cream Sam had ordered for him._

"Okay, we still got some time left." Will said, "How about we check out a couple more rides before the park closes."

"But only those we can all go on." Artie demanded and his siblings agreed.

Actually having the boy and his wheelchair around proved to be quite an advantage, because they got to queue jump at every ride and saved a whole lot of time.

"Dude, it's like you're the president or something." Finn grinned.

They all fell into their beds completely exhausted that night, there was no energy left to even think of continuing the earlier pillow fight - a fact their parents were very grateful for.

Emma went for a last round of checks, tucking the younger kids in.

"Everything okay in here, boys?" she asked Sam, Artie and Kurt.

"It feels like everything is still moving. " Sam moaned.

Emma laughed. "Just relax and close your eyes."

She gave a goodnight kiss to her two older sons and then went over to Kurt's side of the bed he was sharing with Artie.

"Did you have fun today, honey?" she asked.

Kurt nodded and yawned, hugging his power ranger to his chest.

Emma pressed a gentle kiss to his freckled nose which made him scrunch it up in what she thought to be the most adorable way ever. He looked so much healthier than back when he first came to live with them.

"That is a very pretty rose." she said looking to the nightstand.

The little boy blushed and she smiled. Will and Emma had wondered how Kurt had gotten the flower and why none of the other kids had one, but none of them seemed to have an explanation.

"Good Night, sweetie." she said getting up off the bed.

"Night Night." The little boy whispered.

Emma held her breath and so did the two older boys in the room. They had all agreed to not make a big spectacle out of every time the boy spoke, not wanting him to get self-conscious about it.

She was glad when the older boys did not react.

"Sweet dreams, boys." she said brushing a lose strand of hair out of the youngest child's face.

She exited the room smiling. She could not wait to tell Will.

The next day they went to Boomerang Bay. All of the kids were again incredibly excited and Will briefly wondered if maybe they were feeding them too much sugar.

All of the older kids immediately ran to the pools and slides, Will trying to keep an eye on them, while Emma stayed behind with Artie and Kurt, lathering the younger one in sun screen. The kid looked like he had as sensitive skin as she had and they would both burn if she didn't use at least two bottles on each of them.

After about an hour Will and Finn arrived back at their blanket.

Will scooped Artie up into his arms. "Come on, buddy. You can't miss out on all the fun."

Finn offered his hand to Kurt.

"You got to check out those slides, man."

The younger boy looked at Emma.

"Don't worry about me, sweetie. I am looking forward to reading my book."

She held up a thick copy of what - judging by the cover - looked like a romantic novel.

_Kurt started chewing on his bottom lip. He did not think he wanted to leave his new mother and the safety of the blanket. There were a lot of kids in the water and they were all shrieking and splashing around carelessly. And then there were the slides - those things just looked scary and dangerous to him._

"You do know how to swim, right kiddo?" Will asked.

The little boy looked down and shook his head.

"Hey. No problem! I am a great teacher." Finn said still holding out his hand.

The younger boy looked at his parents and - as they both nodded - hesitantly took his big brother's hand, following him to one of the more shallow pools.

Will and Emma exchanged another smile.

_Kurt had not been sure if he could trust his oldest brother not to let him drown, the tall teen seemed so clumsy in every day life, but as with all sports, Finn proved to be a natural when it came to moving in and under water. He never let go of his little brother and the boy soon felt safe enough to try his first hesitant strokes._

"That was awesome, dude!" Finn kept encouraging him.

By lunchtime Kurt was not yet a good swimmer, but he managed to stay above water well and long enough to be proud of his own accomplishments.

They returned to the blanket and shared sandwiches with the rest of their family. All of the kids recounted their adventures but nobody was more excited than Finn, basking in his big brother glory.

_After lunch Will and the older kids took Kurt to the slides with them and he soon discovered he actually enjoyed sliding down as long as he was safely seated between one of his older sibling's legs as they held on to him_. _He had not laughed this much in a long time._

The time to start the journey back home came far too soon for all of them. At least to the parents' personal enjoyment all of the kids were so tired this time that they spent almost the entire ride fast asleep.

Will reached for Emma's hand and smiled.

"What are you thinking, honey?"

"I'm thinking the Schuester family had a pretty good summer this year."

They both smiled.

Summer was coming to an end way too soon for all of them. School would be starting up again in just a few days and everyone was busy with their preparations.

Emma took all of the kids shopping frequently, a lot of new school supplies and clothes were needed.

Will was busy trying to prepare for launching the glee club, a fact that caused Rachel to visit the house even more often than usual.

Finn and Puck almost appeared to be bouncing off the walls all the time- they were incredibly excited about finally starting high school.

"We are going to rule that place!" Puck kept saying.

Kurt still did not speak much and when he did it was always very short, whispered sentences. He only spoke in front of family, never when other people were around - the only exception being Tina. The two children had somehow bonded over their shared shyness.

Emma was sitting in the large cellar of their house, they used it as a laundry and storage room.

She was sorting through some of her children's old clothes. Clothes the older kids had grown out of but were still good enough to hand down to the younger siblings.

Kurt joined her, sitting down Indian style with the pink ranger in his lap.

"Hey sweetie." Emma smiled and hugged her youngest son.

The boy was very physically affectionate when it came to the ginger woman and she often wondered if he had always been a bit of a momma's boy. On the other hand he seemed to also really enjoy the hugs he constantly received from Will and the older children. It almost seemed like the child needed the assurance he truly belonged to them.

"I am sorting through some clothes. Would you like to help me?"

The little boy nodded.

"Okay, this pile is made up of some of Finn's old stuff that Noah can still use. And these are Noah's clothes we can give to Sam. Do you want to have a look through Artie's things? Maybe there are some items you would like?"

_Kurt was appalled. He loved his brother, but his way of dressing himself was a crime against fashion, even an eight year old could see that._

"Not your style?" Emma smiled.

The child nodded.

"Okay, why don't you just have a look around and see what you like?" the mother offered.

_Kurt got up looking around. He really did not think he was going to find anything too exciting, but then he stumbled across a pair of shoes that made him gasp. They were even the right size. He held his treasure up to Emma._

"Oh, sweetie. Are you sure? These used to be Brittany's."

_The boy nodded. He liked the shoes, the colour, and they did not look like they had been worn very much. His sister had probably grown out of them fast._

"Well, okay then."

The first day of school arrived and it hit the Schuester home like a tornado. Children were running everywhere yelling for things they could not find. Most of them - well, all except Finn - were far too excited or nervous to have breakfast.

They all dressed in their favourite clothes, which also meant Kurt was wearing his new shoes.

Will took the older kids to the high and middle schools, while Emma took Artie and Kurt to their elementary school. They were still very early and used the back entrance with the ramp for Artie's wheelchair so they did not run into a lot of other children.

They had a brief meeting with the principal before it was time for Emma to say goodbye.

The woman hugged both boys as she told them to have fun and learn as much as they could.

Right after the mother had left Tina joined the two boys, greeting them both with warm hugs and brand new bracelets.

The older children walked Kurt to class and promised to meet him for lunch.

_Kurt thought things were going pretty well so far. His teacher seemed nice and she had not asked him to talk. He figured Will and Emma had spoken to her before. Some of the kids had snickered at his appearance but he tried not to let it get to him and did not make eye contact with anybody._

_He did not need friends. He had the best siblings in the world._

_As Kurt left his classroom for lunch he was stopped by two big boys who looked about a year older than him._

"Well what do we have here?" one of them asked.

"Looks like a new girl to me." the other one grinned.

_They both looked at Kurt closely and he suddenly felt very conscious of the shirt and shorts he had chosen to wear - and especially of the bright pink converse sneakers on his feet._

"Are you another one of those Schuester misfits, girly?" the chubby black boy asked.

_Kurt bit his lip, he knew they did not really think he was a girl._

"Oh and look! She is carrying a doll. How cute!" the equally chubby white boy sneered.

_Kurt held his breath as he saw the older boy reach for the pink ranger._

"And what do you idiots think you're doing?" a loud voice rang out.

All three boys turned to look at a black girl standing with her hands on her hips and a very pissed off look on her face.

**AN: Thanks for all the nice comments, advice and suggestions. It is very much appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8: Clouds

"Oh, the more important question is why you think what we are doing is any of your business!" the boy who had been reaching for Kurt's power ranger sneered.

"I am making it my business, you Neanderthals!" the sassy girl replied.

_Kurt held his breath, this was his first day at a new school and he was already close to getting into a fight. He had never been in a fight before, he had been tripped and pushed and people had called him names - but he had never been in a real fight where he had to hurt another kid. He really did not think he wanted to hit one of the boys in front of him, but he knew he would have to protect the girl. That is what gentlemen did and his dad had told him the most important rule was to always be a gentleman._

_The girl did not appear to need his help though._

"You guys better leave this boy alone or I will go to the principal and tell her everything I saw. I bet your parents will ground your slushy asses for weeks."

"You would not dare."

"Oh really?" she gave them a look that made both boys take a step away from her and Kurt.

At that very moment a teacher walked around the corner.

"Oh Mrs Wilson?"

"Yes, Mercedes?"

The two bigger boys turned and ran away.

"I really like that blouse you are wearing today." the girl smiled.

"Thank you very much, Mercedes." the teacher replied walking past.

The girl turned to Kurt and offered him a warm smile.

"My name is Mercedes Jones."

_Kurt looked at the girl. He really wanted to thank her, tell her how grateful he was, but he just stood there gaping at her in awe._

"You don't have to thank me. I've been wanting to tell those idiots off for a long time. They have been giving a lot of the children here a hard time."

The boy still just stared at her.

"I know your name is Kurt Hummel. You live with the Schuester family, right?"

Kurt nodded.

"My mom says they are really good people. She includes them in her prayers all the time."

Mercedes grabbed the boy's free arm and looped hers around it. She began leading him to the school cafeteria.

"We are in the same class, so you can just stick to me and I will show you around. Are you hungry? I could kill for some tots right now."

They both got some food and Artie and Tina joined them at their table. The black girl kept talking the whole time.

"She's perfect for you." Artie whispered to Kurt unable to hide a grin.

_The little boy looked at the girl. She talked a whole lot, that was definitely right, but she was not scary or annoying about it. He also really liked her style, she was wearing a bright t-shirt with a funny print on the front and a pair of purple sneakers with neon green laces. A bold choice - but Kurt thought she totally pulled it off._

_By the time lunch was over Kurt had already forgotten about the mean boys and was looking forward to spending some more time with his new friend. He had never really had a close friend before, but he thought he would like to get to know this brave girl better._

Walking out of the cafeteria Mercedes looped her arm with Kurt's again.

"Don't worry. I'll help him find his way" she assured Artie.

The older boy watched the younger children leave, sure his little brother was safe with the sassy girl.

"I l-l-like her." Tina said.

When they got back to their classroom Mercedes talked a pigtailed girl into switching seats with Kurt, so he could sit next to her. A sitting arrangement that would not change in many years to come.

_Kurt really felt like he should contribute something to this friendship, so when class started he tore a piece of paper out of his notepad and wrote on it. He then passed it over to his new friend with a shy smile on his face._

"I like your shoes." it read.

Mercedes gave him an almost blinding smile in return.

They spent the rest of their school day passing notes and getting to know each other.

When school let out Artie and Kurt waited to be picked up by Emma - each boy with his best friend by his side.

When the mother arrived, looking slightly dishevelled from a hard day at work, the black girl immediately stepped up to her and introduced herself.

"Hello Mrs. Schuester, I am Mercedes Jones. I am Kurt's best friend."

Emma smiled, happy her youngest son had already made friends.

"Nice to meet you, Mercedes. I think I know you. You're Dr. Jones' daughter, right? He's our family's dentist."

Mercedes confirmed with a smile.

"Well, feel free to come visit Kurt any time, okay? Maybe you would like to join us for dinner? We always have enough to feed an army."

"You just have to be faster than Finn." Artie whispered and Kurt grinned.

Mercedes said she had to have dinner at her grandmother's house that day, but she would gladly join them some other time.

_Kurt smiled. He liked his new friend's manners and how she would almost sound like a grown up when she talked to adults._

When they arrived home Emma had to start cooking right away, she would have preferred to just order take out, it had been a rough first day, but she wanted her kids to have a decent meal on their first day of school.

Kurt helped her in the kitchen and Artie set the table.

Will and the older kids arrived a little later. The twins and Santana joined their mom and siblings in the kitchen, while Will and the older boys disappeared to their rooms.

"What's wrong with them?" Artie asked.

"They are all really unhappy. I tried everything and I just could not cheer them up." Brittany replied.

"What happened?"

Apparently Will had had a big fight with Sue Sylvester. The cheerleading coach was not at all happy about the Spanish teacher founding the glee club. Principal Figgins had called both of them to his office to inform them that the club's small budget would be taken off of the Cheerio's impressive funding. Sue had been furious. The family's long friendship with their neighbour had taken a serious blow.

Finn and Puck had not had a great first day at high school either. Nobody seemed to have informed the other students that they were going to "rule the place".

With Will and the older boys in such a bad mood dinner proved to be a tense affair.

_Kurt watched his foster father and two oldest brothers. He hated seeing them so sad. Of course the whole family hated seeing them upset, but for him it was even worse. It reminded the little boy of those last weeks he had spent with his father. How the man had begun to cry all the time and then suddenly stopped. How he did not show any emotion at all anymore. He had just sat there with a sad look on his face. Nothing the boy did would cheer his dad up. The man had withdrawn more and more, hardly even spoken to his child anymore._

_Kurt was too young to fully understand what depression meant, but the way he saw it, it was a very deep sadness and he knew it had killed his daddy._

_The young boy was scared of what might be happening to his new father and brothers._

When Will sat down at his desk to prepare a lesson he suddenly heard a soft melody coming from the piano in the adjoining room. It was a simple tune, one he had been teaching his youngest child.

The father went to the next room and saw the small, freckled boy playing and smiling at him. He sat down next to him and softly sang along:

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are grey

You'll never know dear

How much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

Will looked at the child smiling up at him and pulled the boy into a hug.

"Thank you, buddy."

When Finn and Puck finished their homework, which Emma supervised in the living room, and returned to their room, they both found drawings on their beds. Each drawing had a boy standing in front of the big high school building. The boy was wearing a sweater with the first letter of his name on it and he was wearing a crown on his head. "You rule!" it said on the pictures. Both boys smiled.

* * *

><p>But even a couple weeks later things were still tense. Will was still fighting with Sue and the glee club was not as successful as he hoped it would be. He was beginning to doubt if he had made the right decision.<p>

Finn and Puck (and their friend Quinn) were doing everything they could to become popular at their new school. The boys tried every sport they could and Quinn was dead set on becoming a cheerio. All three teens had decided not to join glee club, a fact that had upset both Will and Rachel a lot. Rachel visited the house almost every day trying to persuade the boys, but it only seemed to irritate them.

_One day Kurt found Rachel sitting alone in the living room, Finn and Puck had just stormed off, leaving the poor girl behind, upset and alone. She was crying softly when the little boy joined her._

"I thought they were my friends, you know?" she sobbed.

"Now they are always so busy they hardly ever speak to me at school. They are trying so hard to become popular they don't even realise they already are. They are friends with all the jocks and cheerleaders, people who only notice me to make fun of me."

_Kurt took her hand and held it._

"I got slushied today. One of the jocks came up with one of these big frozen drinks - and he just threw it in my face."

The younger child gasped.

"It hurt and it was so embarrassing. What hurt even more was that my friends weren't there to help me."

_Kurt wrapped his arms around the older girl. He knew she could be annoying at times and he kind of felt that his family was avoiding the living room right now, but he knew what it felt like to be alone and he did not wish that on anybody._

"Do you want to watch a movie?" the boy whispered.

Rachel's eyes widened upon hearing the boy speak and she could only nod.

_Kurt got up and looked around the family's dvd collection. He knew the older girl liked singing so he was looking for something that had music in it. He finally settled for The Wizard of Oz. It seemed to be the right choice, because Rachel smiled and hugged him close. They watched the whole movie cuddled up together, softly singing along to the songs._

* * *

><p><em>At his own school things were going okay for Kurt. He spent all his time with Mercedes, it had only taken him two days to trust her enough to speak to her and now they were almost constantly whispering to each other, a fact that got them in trouble with their teacher more than once. The mean, older boys - Azimio and Karofsky - he had learned, were still teasing him, but it was easy enough to ignore them when his best friend was around.<em>

_But a couple weeks into term came the day Mercedes was not around, the girl got a bad case of the flu and her mother made her stay at home. Kurt was miserable all day. The older boys had managed to trip or push him in the hallways quite a few times and the pale child could not wait to get home._

_However Emma seemed to be running late that day and he and Artie were among the last kids waiting to be picked up when Azimio and Karofsky cornered them._

"Well, well, what do we have here? The Schuester freaks!"

"The cripple and the mute! What a lovely pair!"

"Leave us alone!" Artie said.

"Oh yeah? And what will you do if we don't?"

Karofsky grabbed the boy's glasses, dropped them on the floor and stepped on them. The two brothers gasped.

"Why doesn't your freak brother ask us to leave?" Azimio sneered looking at Kurt. He pushed the boy.

_The younger boy tried to back away but was stopped by a wall. He was trapped. He was scared and tried to breathe in but he just couldn't, no air would reach his lungs. All he could do was hold on tightly to his power ranger and pray someone would come to save them soon. He knew he and Artie would have no chance in a fight._

"You guys are freaks and we don't want you here." the black boy continued shoving Kurt again.

"Yea, hurts our eyes to even look at you!" Karofsky agreed holding onto Artie's wheelchair.

"You know what I heard?" Azimio asked, stepping even closer to Kurt, so close the little boy could feel spit hit his pale face.

"I Heard you are such a loser freak that even your own parents did not want you."

_The smaller boy still could not breathe, it felt like the whole schoolyard had started spinning around him._

"Kurt, are you okay?" Artie whispered to his little brother who was trembling so hard it scared the older boy.

"Dude.." even Karofsky was getting concerned but there was no stopping his friend now.

"I heard your parents were so upset that instead of a son God gave them this freak of nature - they killed themselves! How does it feel to be nothing but one big hell of a disappointment?"

_Kurt felt tears stinging his eyes but before they could spill everything around him turned black._


	9. Chapter 9: Fever

Emma brushed a strand of lose hair out of her child's forehead. The small boy lay in bed, whimpering in his sleep, his pale face flushed from a fever, glistening with perspiration.

Two days had passed since the fateful day she had arrived late to pick up her two youngest sons from their school. Sue Sylvester had found weed in a senior's locker and the counsellor had been called to talk to the frightened boy. She had been glad to eventually be able to leave the jock in the hands of very understanding parents, rushing to her car and making her way to the elementary school as fast as possible.

When she arrived her sons were not waiting in the usual spot, she had waited for about a minute, but after a stressful day she just did not have the patience left to wait. She had stepped out of her car and made her way towards the school building.

She had noticed a group of boys a little to her right and taken a few hesitant steps in their direction. When she finally recognised her children it was just in time to see her youngest drop to the floor.

"Kurt!"

Emma had run as fast as she could. She barely noticed the black boy barrelling past her, or how his friend had yelled "We did not mean to!" before he followed him.

She had fallen to her knees so fast she had scraped both of them badly. With an unconscious Kurt in her arms and her older son crying next to her it was a miracle she managed to call for an ambulance.

All she could remember from the ride to the hospital was Artie's constant chanting of "Oh my God! Oh my God!"

When they finally arrived in the emergency room the doctors had wheeled the little boy away. She did not know what to do, they would not let her take Artie through those doors and she could not just leave the scared boy. Finally Will and the older children arrived.

"What happened? I could hardly understand you on the phone."

" I don't know:" she had cried "I only saw him fall to the ground and those boys were running away."

Artie had tried to explain as well as he could. He told his family how the older boys had cornered them, how Karofsky had stolen and broken his glasses, how Azimio had been pushing Kurt - and then what exactly the chubby boy had said to the younger child.

Everyone had gasped, Will had barely managed to keep his older sons from running out of the hospital to go looking for the bullies, judging by his face he would have gladly joined them in hunting those boys down.

"Calm down guys. Your little brother needs you more right now." he said instead.

Finally a doctor had appeared and taken Emma to see Kurt. Will had stayed with the other kids - just in case.

Kurt had been awake and crying softly. Emma had immediately pulled the boy into her arms, softly kissing his hair and trying to calm him down. He must have been so scared.

The doctor explained that the little boy had had a panic attack and that had caused him to be unable to breathe. Passing out had been his body's way of pulling the emergency cord. As soon as the boy had fainted he had started breathing again.

Seeing as Kurt was so frightened and nothing was physically wrong with him, the hospital allowed the Schuester family to take their youngest member home.

The pale child had not stopped crying for hours and when he finally passed out from exhaustion he appeared to be plagued by nightmares. He lay whimpering and turning restless in his sleep.

Will had gone to sleep in Kurt's bed in Sam and Kurt's shared room, so he could get some rest while his wife took care of their youngest son in the master bedroom.

By morning the nightmares still had not eased up and both mother and son were not feeling well, so it was decided they would stay at home. Emma tried her best but she could not get the little boy out of bed. He did not want to eat and by the time the rest of the family came home he was running a fever.

A doctor was called and after talking to the family about everything that had happened, and of course examining the small boy, he stated his diagnosis: grief!

"This child has not yet managed to work through everything that has happened to him in the last months. He lost his mother and then his father under most tragic circumstances, he was taken away from his home and everything he knew. Nobody doubts that you are giving him a good and stable home, but I don't think he has taken the time to properly grieve and deal with the trauma yet. He needs to accept what has happened to his family. Allow him to have this mourning period. As soon as the fever is down and he is willing to eat and regains his strength I suggest you make him see a therapist."

They had called Puck's and Santana's therapist the same day and she had agreed to meet the little boy as soon as he was stable enough.

But as Emma was gently running her fingers over the young boy's face he was still burning up.

Mercedes had called about twenty times, but was not allowed to visit as she was still down with the flu.

Rachel had insisted on singing to her little friend, her support bringing her and Finn closer together again. Quinn, Mike and Tina had all visited, but Kurt had hardly even opened his eyes.

Emma laid down next to her son trying to think of the last time she had been this scared.

There had been the time Finn had fallen off the big tree in Sue's garden, he had broken his arm and to this very day Sue insisted he had been there trying to steal her apples. Emma had of course defended her son, saying her children did not need to steal food, but judging by the looks Puck and Finn had given her that was exactly what they had been doing.

She remembered the day Puck had been bitten by Mr. Hopper's German shepherd, she had been sure the boy would lose at least two fingers, but of course he had been far luckier than he actually deserved. That boy had been teasing he dog whenever he got the chance.

Toddler Sam accidentally drinking some laundry detergent had almost given her a heart attack and she could still very vividly remember how angry she had been last year when she found out her daughters had not been eating properly for days because Sue had talked to them about the perfect weight for a cheerleader. It had been the same week Artie had decided trying to go down stairs in his wheelchair.

Still... all those times she had known what to do and who to call, it had been scary as hell but she had not felt quite this helpless.

She pulled her little boy close and kissed his chestnut hair.

"Please, baby. Let us help you."

The ginger woman drifted off to a restless sleep.

When Emma awoke the next morning she still held the sleeping child in her arms, but something was different. She brushed her lips against the little boy's forehead and it did not feel hot.

For about a second her heart stood still and she panicked, but then she felt the soft warm breath against her neck. The boy began to stir in her arms. Big blue eyes looked up at her sleepily.

"Hi."

"Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty." his voice sounded raspy.

"I can help with that. Be back in a minute."

The mother noticed it was already past 9am and the rest of her family had left for school.

She got some juice and ice cream from the kitchen and went back to the confused boy lying in bed.

"I should be in school. Am I in trouble?" Kurt whispered.

"No, honey. You're not in trouble. You had a bad fever and had to stay in bed."

"Like Mercedes?"

"A little like that. Do you remember what happened?"

The boy looked deep in thought for a minute but then he just nodded, while a single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Let's eat some ice cream and watch a movie. If you're up to it I have a surprise for you later, but only if you promise not to tell your siblings that we had ice cream in bed for breakfast."

The boy could not hide a grin.

They ate their ice cream and some cookies while they watched two movies and some cartoons until Kurt remembered the surprise.

"What's the surprise?" he asked.

Emma swallowed, she was nervous, she really did not know if this was such a good idea, but the doctor had told her to give it a go.

"We got something for you." she said, handing her foster son a photo album.

_Kurt gasped. He recognized the album right away. In his old home it had had a special place in the living room. This was the album containing his baby pictures. Pictures that had his mommy and daddy in them. He looked at Emma, unsure of what he was expected to do._

"Do you want to have a look through it?" the woman asked softly.

The pale boy could only nod.

_At first it felt weird seeing these photos and how young his mommy and daddy looked in them. He would often pause to trace their faces with his small finger._

_He liked how Emma kept encouraging him, telling him how pretty his mother looked in certain pictures or how much she liked baby Kurt's smile. Soon the boy found himself explaining stuff, telling his foster mom where or when pictures had been taken, who had taken them and what had happened right before or after. He basically began repeating stories his parents had been telling him over and over again when he asked them to look through the album with him. He cried some, but he smiled a lot, too. His parents had loved him._

_He cuddled close to Emma and fell asleep again, this time there were no nightmares._

When her son woke up Emma fixed them some nice soup and they looked through another album, before starting another movie.

When Will and the older children came home they were all beyond happy to see Kurt doing so much better. They took turns sitting with him , looking at the pictures while he told his little stories.

Will hugged his wife close while watching their children from the doorframe.

"I don't know what you did or how you did it, but you did great. You're amazing."

"I did not do anything. He just needed time and patience."

They shared a kiss.

"EWWWWW! GROSS!" echoed the voices of seven children.

The parents laughed.

_Mercedes was finally allowed to visit the next day and Kurt spent a lot of time showing her his treasured photo albums. He also told her that he was going to start therapy soon and how nervous he was about that. She tried to calm him down, but then just had to tell him how Karofsky and Azimio had gotten away with just a couple days of detention. Karofsky had actually gotten more because he had broken Artie's glasses. It was all highly unfair._

_The next day was a Saturday. Emma wanted to cheer her youngest up and calm his nerves or at least distract him a little before returning back to school on Monday, so she offered to take the kids shopping. All of the older kids had plans, so it ended up just her, Will, Artie, Kurt, Mercedes and Tina._

_Emma loved how well her youngest sons got along and what wonderful girls they had chosen as their best friends. She really enjoyed spending time with these kids._

_While the parents were busy with four kids in a shopping mall, their five older children had very different plans._

* * *

><p><em>Azimio and Karofsky sat on the swings of a rundown playground. Azimio's mother had kicked them out, telling them they spent too much time indoors and needed some fresh air or they would never grow.<em>

_The boys had been more than reluctant but she had finally been able to bribe them with a large bag of chips and two cans of coke. They were now munching away trying to will time to pass faster so they could go back to their computer games._

_Suddenly two very pretty girls appeared in front of the boys. One of them was a very pretty blond with sparkling blue eyes, the other was a beautiful Latina with jet black hair. _

"_Are you Karofsky and Azimio?" they asked_

"_Who wants to know?" Azimio answered, crumbs flying from his mouth._

"_How about the Schuester Misfits." a boy with a mohawk replied whilst reaching for the ropes of the black boy's swing._

_A very tall teen did the same with the ropes of Karofsky's swing._

_The two younger boys had not seen the teens approach and it freaked them out quite a bit. They turned around to see a blond boy standing behind them. Even if they had been able to get off the swings, there was no escape._

"_What are you going to do to us?" the chubby boys squeaked._

"_We don't know yet. What do you think we should do to you?"_

"_Let us go, please!"_

"_Unfortunately that's not an option."_

"_We did not touch your brothers!"_

"_Oh really?"_

"_YES!"_

_Puck and Finn had begun spinning the swings so Azimio and Karofsky were forced to turn in circles, the ropes getting tighter and tighter. No chance of an escape._

_Finn leaned close to Karofsky's face._

"_The way I heard it , you stole the glasses from a boy in a wheelchair. A boy who could not defend himself. And you deliberately broke them."_

_The chubby boy gulped._

_Puck turned to Azimio._

"_And you decided to attack a boy less than half your size. You shoved and pushed him repeatedly. You did not care that he could not breathe. You spat in his face and decided to tease him about losing his parents."_

_The younger boy closed his eyes and wondered if God would still answer his prayers._

_Both boys were sure they were about to die._

_Sam stepped between the swings and spoke to both boys._

"_From now on you will leave our brothers alone. You will not touch them, you will not speak to them, you will not even look in their direction."_

_Both boys held their breath._

_Santana stepped up, looking just as scary as her brothers._

"_If we ever hear about you bothering our brothers again, you will regret you were ever born. .UNDERSTAND?"_

_Both boys nodded frantically._

"_Yes. Please. We will leave them alone. We promise."_

"_One more thing." Brittany smiled. "If we hear about other kids teasing them or giving them a hard time, you will be the first we come to to talk about it, okay? And that includes their friends Mercedes and Tina:"_

_Santana looked proudly at her sister and offered her a high five._

_The frightened younger boys promised._

"_Anything. Just please don't hurt us."_

"_It isn't that funny when older kids threaten you, huh?" Puck pretended to punch Azimio and laughed at the resulting flinch._

_The oldest teens pushed the swings away and as the ropes unravelled both Azimio and Karofsky fell to the ground._

_When the boys looked up the Schuester kids had disappeared._

_Dave Karofsky looked at his friend._

"_Dude, did you wet yourself?"_

_The black boy howled and ran home._


	10. Chapter 10: Wonderland

_Kurt stood at the window of his bedroom looking out to the large garden. He could see his brothers Puck and Sam playing soccer with their friend Mike. His oldest brother Finn was sitting on a bench to the side, holding hands with his (brand new) girlfriend Rachel. The girl was smiling and happily chatting away._

_Artie and Brittany were playing with Lord Tubbington, throwing a toy mouse from one to the other while the cat looked more annoyed than entertained.._

_There was a knock on the door and his sister Santana entered._

"Ready to go down the rabbit hole?" she asked.

_The boy only gave her a confused look. Today marked his first therapy session and he was already nervous enough without the Latina going all cryptic on him_.

"You will understand once you see the office. It is all kinds of weird."

She hugged her little brother.

"It is going to be okay. She won't make you talk if you don't want to."

She took the pale boy's hand and led him downstairs where their dad was waiting to drive them to the child psychologist's office. Out of all his siblings he had chosen his dark-haired sister to come along for moral support.

_They remained silent for the whole ride. Kurt was so nervous he could not stop his mind racing. What if this doctor said he was too damaged? What if she told the Schuester's to send him away again? What if she blamed him for not helping his daddy more? He was beginning to feel sick. This person was going to judge him and he felt completely unprepared._

The office was in the centre of town. They took the elevator to the fourth floor, where they were greeted by a friendly receptionist and sat down in the waiting room.

_Kurt was scared and wished Emma would have come with them, he felt a lot closer to the mother, but guessed that might have been the reason Will chose to drive them. He looked around the waiting room. There were a lot of toys lying around and there were comics and drawing books on the table. The boy did not feel like playing._

Santana pulled him close to whisper in his ear.

"Sit in the green chair, it is the most comfy one. It reclines, check out the ceiling."

_Kurt was confused but before he could respond he was called to see the doctor._

_Dr. Rhiannon Davies was a tall woman with long, thick, greying hair. She wore a tie-dye blouse and a long denim skirt with sandals. Kurt thought she looked like someone out of that Hair musical his mom had liked to watch_.

"Hello Kurt. Why don't you come inside so we can get to know each other."

_She had a strong Welsh accent and the boy thought the way she pronounced the 'r' made his name sound funny._

The doctor ushered the small boy inside while giving a reassuring nod to his family.

_Kurt's eyes grew big as he took in what the doctor called her office. It was a large friendly room with big windows. Several chairs were placed around, no two were of the same colour. There were even more toys lying around here than in the waiting room. On the shelves, in between heavy, scientific looking books, there were dozens of snow globes_.

"Go on. You can have a look around." the doctor said.

_The boy took a couple more careful steps into the room. He picked up a snow globe and shook it, then moved on to the next one. He noticed a musical box and wound it up to listen to the melody. He turned to look at Dr. Davies but she just smiled at him so he kept looking around. There was a wall to his right that was covered in drawings and Thank You notes. The boy guessed the woman was popular with her patients or at least tried to make him believe that by displaying the artwork. His siblings had told him she was okay though, he trusted his sibling's judgement._

_He looked around for a couple more minutes, shook a few more snow globes and played two more musical boxes, then he finally settled in the big green chair. The chair was so huge that only his feet went over the edge of the seat. He thought it was a weird piece of furniture for an office that was primarily visited by children. He briefly wondered if it was the chair that had made his sister compare this place to wonderland and carefully checked the table next to him for "drink me" bottles or "eat me" cookies. There were cookies, but no sign next to them._

"Are you feeling comfortable, Kurt?" the doctor asked.

_The little boy nodded, running his hand over the velvety fabric on the arm of his chair._

"Would you like to ask me anything?" the tall woman asked.

_The boy was unsure so he only shrugged_.

"My name is Rhiannon Davies. I am from Wales, that is in Great Britain."

_Kurt nodded, he knew about Wales, his brother Sam had made him watch several episodes of Torchwood, even though Emma insisted they were both too young for it._

"I am fifty years old. I moved here more than twenty years ago, because I fell in love and my husband was from here. He died many years ago."

She pointed to a picture frame on the desk behind her, it held an old picture of a tall, black man holding a little boy in his lap.

"That picture was taken two years before our son died. He had leukaemia."

_Kurt felt sorry for this lady_.

"I miss both of them a lot, every single day. Can you understand that?"

_The small boy nodded. He understood all to well. He still missed his mommy and daddy. Missed them so much it hurt_.

"I still cry a lot when I miss them. Do you think it is a bad thing to cry?"

Kurt shook his head.

"Crying can be good. It is good to release one's emotions. I often feel better after a good cry. There is nothing to be ashamed of. " she looked at him "Right?"

The child nodded.

"Sometimes I get really angry. I feel like they abandoned me and it is frustrating because I can't yell at them. So I had to find some other way to release my anger. Would you like me to show it to you?"

_The boy nodded and took the doctor's offered hand. She let him to a corner of the room that had a punching bag as well as some kind of rubber foam bats._

_Dr. Davies handed her patient a blue bat. She grabbed a bat of her own and with a loud scream started hitting the punching bag._

"Come on, Kurt. You got to help me out here. We can't let the punching bag win!"

_For a moment Kurt was not sure what to do. He was convinced this woman was crazy. Maybe she was not the therapist at all, but a patient who had killed the real doctor in a therapy session terribly gone wrong. Now the real therapist was lying dead in that closet over there and he was left alone with a psychopathic murderer. He should probably get out of here and call for help as fast as possible._

_On the other hand this bat swinging looked like a whole lot of fun. The boy decided to give it a try._

_He swung the bat and hit the bag hard._

"Good one, Kurt!" the psychologist encouraged.

She took another swing. "Aaaargh! Take this!"

Kurt laughed.

"Aaaaah!" he yelled as he took his next swing.

They busied themselves swinging and coming up with new battle cries for a few minutes.

When they were left out of breath Dr. Davies smiled at the boy.

"Now that was fun." she said with a smile.

Kurt smiled back.

"I know this is against doctor patient confidentiality, but I am going to let you in on a secret. This is your brother's favourite part." she laughed.

_The little boy grinned. He could totally picture Puck enjoying this a lot._

"Okay we have a couple more minutes, why don't we take a little breather."

They went back to their chairs and as Kurt settled back into his, hugging his power ranger, the woman pushed a button and the chair reclined. The boy laid back looking at the ceiling.

Dr. Davies closed the curtains and dimmed the lights.

_The child gasped as stars began glowing all over the ceiling. He knew they were only those stickers you could by in any toy store or supermarket, but right now they looked like magic._

_Then he noticed a dark spot on the ceiling right above him. He furrowed his brows in concentration, trying to make out what exactly it was. It kind of had the shape of a stamp, but why would a stamp be up there?_

"Wondering about the stamp?" the woman asked.

He nodded and watched her grab a flashlight. She flashed a light at the spot on the ceiling.

Kurt could now recognize it as a Disney stamp.

"That's Pluto!" the therapist said with a serious look on her face. Then she grinned at the small boy.

They both burst out laughing.

Time was up and Dr. Davies took Kurt back to his waiting family. Santana immediately wrapped her little brother in her arms.

"I think that was a great first session, Kurt. If you are willing I would like to meet you again next week."

She looked at the boy who nodded, giving her a shy smile.

"And I will see you in two days, Santana. Tell your big brother he still owes me a snow globe!"

The girl laughed.

"Oh, I told you to give up that hope, doc!"

On their way home Will and the kids picked up enough ice cream for their family and friends.

When they arrived Emma scolded her husband for picking up the treat before they had had dinner, while most of the kids were busy cheering.

Puck approached his little brother with a grin.

"So, did she show you Pluto?"

Kurt nodded and smiled.

"Come on then, ranger. Better hurry before Finn eats everything on his own!"

**AN: Okay, no dissing Dr. Davies or her methods. She is completely based on my own T and experience so any complaints about the session being unrealistic are invalid.**


	11. Chapter 11: Will

Will Schuester let his head drop to the cool, hard surface of his desk. He adored his children. Loved every single one with all his heart. But right now, as he was sitting here trying to correct some papers, he would have given so much for just a little time of peace and quiet.

He could hear Emma and their son Noah having a shouting match in the distance. The boy had been the first to enter the teenage rebellion phase. Considering his difficult background they had wanted to give him as much freedom as possible, but lately he had just been acting up too much. Staying out late without calling and letting them know where he was, a large number of different girls calling or stopping by the house, just to never be seen again.

Last week Coach Sylvester had caught the fourteen year old boy smoking in the locker rooms. Puck had accused them of being out to get him. He was not completely wrong, Will himself was sure that Sue was a lot harder on his kids ever since he founded the, -unfortunately still very unpopular- glee club at the school. But Puck also accused the father, saying that he never would have gotten this mad at his brother, because Finn had finally joined the club, unlike Noah, who was still afraid of hurting his badass reputation.

Emma and Will had had a lot of late night discussions about what to do with the boy and decided he needed the same kind of rules and treatment as his siblings. They could not allow him to act up like this.

Today the boy had been caught shoplifting at the grocery store around the corner. Will had picked him up and together with his wife grounded the teen for a month. Puck had not stopped shouting and banging doors since.

Will sighed. He should go and support his wife, but he really needed to finish this work.

Finally the yelling stopped and he could hear his foster son stomp up the stairs and slam the door to his room. Seconds later loud music began blasting through the house.

"Puck!" Sam's voice joined the noise. "Turn that off! We are trying to watch a movie!"

This turned out to be the beginning of yet another shouting match.

Will groaned and got up from his desk. He went across the hall and told both boys to return to their rooms. He also made sure too remind the older boy of the invention of headphones. Both boys slammed their doors.

As will walked by the master bedroom again he could hear loud giggling coming from inside.

Brittany and Kurt were busy using their parents' bed as a trampoline.

"Now what's going on here?" the father asked.

"We are thinking about joining the circus, daddy!" Brittany beamed.

Will bit his tongue before he said something he might regret later.

"Well I like your enthusiasm but would you mind practicing some tricks outside? Daddy needs to work."

He caught first his small son and then his daughter, setting them on the floor by the door and shooing them off. The kids tumbled down the stairs still giggling happily.

He was able to return to his work for a full twenty minutes before there was a soft knock on the door.

"Hola, papa!" Santana appeared in the frame.

"Hola, mi hija!" the father replied.

He checked his watch, sure enough it was time for their daily bonding time. Every day he would spend some time with his foster daughter. They would speak Spanish the whole time, a tradition they had started when the young girl had confessed to being afraid of losing her heritage.

After the girl had told him about her day they went downstairs to get themselves something to drink.

In the living room Artie was preparing the camera for a very important recording.

"Action!" the young director said.

His stars were Finn and his girlfriend Rachel who began singing a lovely duet together.

Will smiled at how well their voices went together.

When the teens finished the father and glee club director clapped enthusiastically.

"Great work! You sounded amazing!"

The teens beamed.

"Maybe you could sing this at Saturday's performance!"

While Rachel's smile widened even more and the tiny girl seemed to grow a couple of inches, Finn looked like he was about to be violently sick.

"Oh God, Dad! Don't do this to us!"

"What's wrong? Don't you want to perform?"

"I do. Just maybe not so soon and not at school. They hate us there. And Saturday is really important. The varsity teams are announced."

"Son, I already promised Principal Figgins we would perform. We can't back down now."

"Great. This is going to be my social suicide."

Finn stormed off sulking.

"Don't worry. I will talk to him." Rachel followed her boyfriend.

Artie mumbled something about having to do a lot of editing work and left as well.

Will plopped down on the couch and closed his eyes.

A soft kiss made him smile and moan softly. He wrapped his arms around his wife and they cuddled up close.

"Let's run away from home." he whispered.

Emma giggled and snuggled closer.

"We can't, darling. We have seven kids to raise."

"Seven?"

"Seven."

"Remind me again. Why do we have so many?"

"I think we are insane." Emma grinned, making her husband laugh.

"Do you think we should go upstairs and try talking to Noah again?" Will asked.

"No need."

"How so?"

"I allowed Kurt and Brittany to watch a news segment on smoking and lung cancer. They are upstairs talking to him right now."

Will laughed.

"The poor boy. When do you think we should save him?"

Emma cuddled closer, kissing her husband again.

"Let's give them ten more minutes." she grinned.

* * *

><p>Saturday rolled around a lot sooner than Will had anticipated.<p>

He had tried preparing his small glee club as well as he could, but as he was looking at the five kids standing backstage right now, they all looked absolutely terrified. Even Rachel Berry had never looked less confident.

Will waved the tiny diva and his tall son over to join him.

"I believe in you. We all know you can do it. Your voices sound great together and you have awesome chemistry."

Both teens gave him uncertain smiles as they joined the other club members behind the curtain.

Will rushed to join his family and friends in the front row. They had not been able to save him a place, so he picked up his youngest son and his power ranger and placed them on his lap.

As the curtain lifted the glee club director was so excited he could hardly breathe.

As soon as the glee kids came into view the crowd started booing. You could hardly hear Rachel or Finn over the constant shouting of increasingly degrading insults.

"Get off that stage, misfits!"

"We don't want to see you freaks!"

"Where are the cheerios?"

To the family's horror fruit began flying on stage.

The three glee kids swaying in the background quickly fled the stage, leaving Rachel and Finn alone. The two teens bravely finished their duet and left the stage completely humiliated.

As soon as the curtain fell the whole Schuester family and their friends rushed backstage.

Most of the glee club had mysteriously disappeared, leaving only the two singers standing there in tears.

"Oh sweeties!" Emma pulled both teens into a tight hug.

"I am going to talk to Figgins and tell him we are not going to perform the second number." Will said.

The father looked utterly defeated.

"Dad, wait!" Puck called out.

"Noah?"

"We are not going to let those idiots win! Nobody gets to treat our family like that."

"Puck is right." Sam added. "We will not let them believe they beat us."

"We are stronger than that." Santana added.

"And we are better than them." Artie said.

"Nobody gets to humiliate our siblings except for us." Kurt piped up.

Brittany nodded and looked like she was ready to beat somebody up.

All the Schuester kids and their friends took turns hugging Finn and Rachel close. Even Quinn was completely on their side, already wearing the Cheerios uniform Coach Sylvester had given her earlier.

"What do you want to do?" Emma finally asked.

"We are going out on that stage and we will show them they can't get to us. We are proud of who we are!" Puck replied.

"Completely agree with you, bro." Sam said. "Who's with us?"

All of the Schuester kids took a step forward.

Mercedes was holding hands with Kurt so she immediately joined them. Mike and Tina followed her example.

"I can't sing, but I will dance with you." Mike said.

"Well, goodbye sweet uniform" Quinn said running her fingers along the fabric of her red skirt.

Will and Emma stayed backstage and watched the twelve kids walk on stage.

Puck started the song:

_Mis-shapes, mistakes, misfits. __Raised on a diet of broken biscuits, oh we don't look the same as you_

_We don't do the things you do, but we live around here too. Oh really. _

Santana continued:

_Mis-shapes, mistakes, misfits, we'd like to go to town but we can't risk it_

_Oh 'cause they just want to keep us out. You could end up with a smash in the mouth just for standing out. _

Finn took over:

_Oh really. Brothers, sisters, can't you see? The future's owned by you and me. There won't be fighting in the street. They think they've got us beat, but revenge is going to be so sweet. _

All kids sang together:

_We're making a move, we're making it now, we're coming out of the side-lines. Just put your hands up - it's a raid yeah: We want your homes, we want your lives, we want the things you won't allow us. We won't use guns, we won't use bombs_

_We'll use the one thing we've got more of - that's our minds. _

Sam continued:

_Check your lucky numbers, that much money could drag you under, oh. What's the point of being rich if you can't think what to do with it? 'Cause you're so very thick. Oh we weren't supposed to be, we learnt too much at school now we can't help but see. That the future that you've got mapped out is nothing much to shout about. _

All kids together:

_We're making a move, we're making it now,We're coming out of the side-lines. Just put your hands up - it's a raid. We want your homes, we want your lives,we want the things you won't allow us. We won't use guns, we won't use bombs_

_We'll use the one thing we've got more of - that's our minds. _

Finn:

_Brothers, sisters, can't you see? The future's owned by you and me. There won't be fighting in the street. They think they've got us beat but revenge is going to be so sweet. _

All:

_We're making a move. We're making it now. We're coming out of the sidelines. Just put your hands up - it's a raid. We want your homes, we want your lives, we want the things you won't allow us. We won't use guns, we won't use bombs_

_We'll use the one thing we've got more of - that's our minds. And that's our minds. Yeah. _

There was no fruit, no insults. When the children finished the last note the gym stayed eerily silent.

* * *

><p><strong>Song: Mis-Shapes by Pulp<strong>


	12. Chapter 12: Teams

All of the kids on stage held their breaths, instinctively they reached out for each other's hands and stood connected to each other.

Emma was the first to break the silence.

"Bravo!" she cheered.

Will joined her and clapped enthusiastically.

"Go Glee!"

More and more people joined in with cheers and applause and by the time Principal Figgins entered the stage to thank the group all twelve kids were smiling.

They had not managed to win over the whole crowd, a lot of jocks and cheerios were still glaring at them, but they were proud of themselves.

They went backstage, still exchanging hugs and high fives.

"Great job, kids!" Will beamed while Emma hugged all of them.

Brittany, Kurt and Mercedes were still so excited they could not keep themselves from jumping up and down.

Will hugged Noah "I'm proud of you, son."

Then suddenly everyone went quiet as Sue Sylvester appeared backstage.

"I'm sorry, Coach. I'll have the uniform back in your office tomorrow morning." Quinn said as she hung her head.

"What are you talking about, blondie?" Sue barked "Even the cheerios who will never leave the bottom of the pyramid have to be appropriately dressed."

She looked at the kids and then back at Will.

"Your little misfits are the worst Benetton ad I have ever seen, butter-hair."

She gave each of the twelve children a long hard look, all of them held her gaze with pride.

"Are you sure they aren't all blood related?" she asked Will before she left.

Will just laughed and hugged the children again.

"Come on, guys." let's make room for the next act.

The school's brass band took the stage.

The younger children were still skipping from one leg to the other and Emma decided to take them all to a bathroom for a pee break. The older ones stayed with Will.

A jock passed the group.

"Coach is putting up the list!" he told Puck and Finn.

Both boys looked at their dad, who simply nodded and they ran off with Quinn and Rachel at their heels.

Emma and the younger ones joined Will again shortly after, they had made a brief stop at a muffin booth and came bearing gifts.

"Yummy!" Will smiled and almost swallowed a muffin whole. All the excitement had really left him starving.

"MUM! DAD!" their two oldest sons came running towards them.

The whole family smiled. This could only mean good news.

"We did it! We made the list!"

"We are on the team!"

"We are probably never going to actually play but we are officially high school football players!"

The boys could not hide their excitement.

Everyone hugged and congratulated them. They were proud of their brothers and friends.

"Let's celebrate!"

"Wait." Emma stopped them. "There is one more thing."

"Please follow me boys."

Finn and Puck looked at each other and followed with confused looks on their faces.

"Mom?"

"Where are we going?"

"It is time to buy your letterman jackets." Emma said with a smile.

"Really?"

"Oh my God!"

"You are the best mom ever!"

"Remember to thank your father, too. I am not paying for these on my own." the ginger smiled.

Finn was so excited he had already picked out his jacket before his mother and brother arrived at the stand.

"Mom?"

"Yes, Noah?" Emma surveyed her son, he looked miserable.

"I can't accept this."

"Why, honey?"

"I don't deserve it. After all the stuff I pulled lately…"

"Noah, you did great today. You were the leader. You stood up for our family."

The boy still did not look too convinced.

"You are a wonderful young man, Noah. And you are an awesome brother to your siblings. Yes, you have been acting up a little lately - and we will have to have a talk about that, you are still grounded - but we love you, son. We are proud of you. Allow us to buy you this jacket."

The teen looked at his mother with tears shining in his eyes.

"Thank you." he whispered hoarsely as he tried on his letterman jacket.

Emma kissed her son's cheek.

"Treat it with respect, we won't be able to afford a new one any time soon." she said to both boys.

Her sons beamed back at her. She could hardly believe how handsome and grown up they both looked, even in the slightly oversized jackets - they were still growing after all.

They rejoined the rest of their family and friends, the teenage boys proudly modelling their purchases.

Their friends and siblings were showering them with compliments, making both boys blush.

"I can't wait to get one of my own!" Sam stated.

"Me, too." Artie agreed.

Nobody discouraged either boy.

"I just want one of those cheerio uniforms. They are hot." Santana was eying Quinn appreciatively.

They decided to split up for a bit, allowing the older kids to run free until it was time to go home.

Artie and Tina accompanied Sam and Mike.

Kurt and his best friend Mercedes stayed with the parents. They both promised Will to join his glee club as soon as they could. They had loved performing on stage.

"When I grow up I want to be a diva!" Mercedes piped.

"Me too!" Kurt agreed with his friend.

Both parents just smiled. These two were just too cute to resist, running around smiling and never letting go of each others hands.

"I am so glad he found such a good friend." Emma sighed happily.

Will nodded and kissed his wife's nose.

Mercedes parents joined them a few minutes later, both smiling proudly as the girl's older brother Marcus had been announced quarterback.

"That is so cool!" Mercedes hugged her sibling.

It was time for the Jones family to leave, so Kurt hugged his friend goodbye, both children blowing air kisses to each other.

"Aren't you a little young for a girlfriend, buddy?" Will asked.

"Mercedes is my best friend." replied the little boy proudly.

"Do all best friends kiss?"

"They do on America's Next Top Model and Project Runway." the child declared.

The parents shared a look but where interrupted by a loud yawn coming from the pale boy.

"Are you tired, honey?"

The little boy nodded and rubbed his eyes with small fists.

"I did not notice until Cedes was gone." he murmured.

"Come here" Will said lifting his youngest son into his arms.

The boy rested his head on the man's broad shoulder.

The other children rejoined their parents and brother only a few minutes later. They were all happily recounting their adventures when two older football players walked past them.

The two looked at Puck and Finn, who had their arms slung around each others shoulders.

"Looks like the team just caught a case of the gay." one said, disgust apparent in his voice.

"Yeah, better watch out in the showers." The other one replied.

The whole family stared after them in shock. The two oldest siblings looking particularly uneasy.

The youngest just looked completely confused, not understanding what had just happened.

They drove home in silence.

* * *

><p>Once they were inside their own house the spell seemed to be broken though and everyone began celebrating their victories.<p>

Kurt was really tired, so Will took him up to his room after a while. Both parents agreed it was great how well the boy had bonded with Emma, but the father wanted a bond too, so he took up these parental duties whenever he could.

He tucked the boy and his pink ranger in, allowing the kid to tell him about the day and how much he had loved being on stage again.

Will had begun wondering about the child. He was so different from his other sons. He knew the boy preferred arts to sports, but today it had been even more apparent. While all of the other boys had been gushing about the letterman jackets, Kurt had been sharing chapstick with his friend. Where the older boys had been talking about the different sport teams or admiring the cheerleaders, the youngest had announced he wanted to become a diva.

Will knew the little boy was a little young to be worrying about his sexuality, but the father definitely knew he was different from the other boys and hoped this would not cause him too much grief later on in his life.

The man was about to leave when he noticed the child nervously picking at his blanket, a habit the boy had developed and that meant there was something he wanted to ask but did not dare.

Will sat back down on the boy's bed.

"What's on your mind, kiddo?" he asked.

"Can I ask a question?" the little one whispered.

"Of course!"

"Those two big boys today.."

Will immediately knew who the child was referring to and steeled himself.

"Yes?"

"They said Finn and Puck were making the football team gay right?"

The father swallowed not sure what to say.

"I just don't understand why they sounded so angry. Shouldn't they be happy?" the little one continued.

"What do you mean, sonny?"

"I think they should be grateful if they get to be gay."

Will was confused, this was not the conversation he expected.

"Are you gay, Kurt?" he asked, trying to win time. Where was Emma when you needed her?

"Sometimes." the little boy replied.

"How so?"

"I am gay when I can play with my siblings or when I am with Mercedes."

Will finally thought he knew where this was going.

"What are you when you are not gay, Kurt?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"What is the opposite of being gay?"

"Being sad." the boy replied with a distinct "duh" sound to it.

"Who taught you what the word means?" Will asked.

"My mommy. She always sang this song when she was doing chores. It went like this :

_I feel pretty, Oh so pretty_

_I feel pretty and witty and gay_

The boy sang in a crystal clear, beautiful soft voice and Will smiled. They had so much talent in this family.

"I asked my mommy about the words, because I did not know what witty and gay meant. She said witty means smart and gay means happy. Was she wrong?"

Tears were shining in the little boy's eyes, the idea of his mommy being wrong seemed to terrify him.

Will squeezed his foster son's shoulder.

"Your mommy was completely right. She was a very smart woman."

Kurt smiled a teary smile.

"The word gay has another meaning though." Will sighed. How was he supposed to explain this?

"You know how I love Emma?" he asked the boy

"Yes. I love her too."

Will smiled.

"I know you do. I love her a little differently though, because we are husband and wife. I love her like your daddy loved your mommy. Do you understand the difference?"

Kurt nodded. Will was relieved. Now on to the difficult part.

"Well there are some men who don't fall in love with women, they fall in love with other men, like Rachel's dads. And there are some women who fall in love with other women."

Will looked at Kurt waiting for a reaction, but the boy just nodded.

"Those people are called gay."

"Because they are so happy?"

"Uhm.. I don't really know, buddy."

"And those boys thought Puck and Finn are in love?"

"I think they were just trying to tease them."

"Why?"

"I don't know, kiddo." Will felt really stupid.

"They made it sound like a bad thing." Kurt replied.

"There are people who think it is"

"But why?"

"I don't know. Some people are afraid of others being different and it makes them mean."

The boy bit his bottom lip, appearing deep in thought.

"But it is not a bad thing? Being gay?"

"No, Kurt. It is never a bad thing to love and be loved back."

The boy smiled and struggled to get out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Will asked, stopping the boy in the doorway.

"I have to tell Santana!" the boy beamed and ran downstairs.


	13. THIRTEEN

Will Schuester was left behind dumbfounded.

What the hell had just happened?

Why was the little boy so excited?

And why on earth had he, out of all people, chosen his sister Santana to want and share this newly acquired information with?

The two children had become quite close, but could there be more?

Could the latina really be gay? Will had never thought of that possibility. Yes, the girl did admire her brothers' friend Quinn a whole lot, but that was only in a role model kind of way. Wasn't it?

Had they not caught the girl kissing that fourteen year old boy last year? Had they not spent forever telling her she was too young to be dating? She was still so young and already breaking hearts wherever she went. Many of her older brothers' friends had been more or less banned from coming to the house.

Will and Emma had agreed that both of their beautiful daughters would be quite a handful. The father would surely have to get a shotgun pretty soon.

Would he need a shotgun to scare off boys for Kurt, too? And how does one scare off girls from their daughter?

Will was making himself dizzy.

Hearing his young son tumble down the stairs the teacher could not help but picture the worst case scenario. The child would burst into the living room, out his sister to the whole family and then all hell would break lose.

Oh my God! He had to stop this!

Will rushed downstairs, sure to find most of his children in a shouting match.

When the man entered the room he found a very different situation. All of his older sons seemed to have magically disappeared - most likely to Artie's room for another gaming tournament. His daughter Brittany was fast asleep, lying on the couch, resting her head in her mother's lap. Emma was watching a movie while gently running her fingers through the soft blonde hair.

Kurt was kneeling next to his other sister on the couch on the other end of the room. The little boy was whispering in the smiling girl's ear. When he finished she just pulled him close and kissed his hair, allowing him to cuddle up.

The father let out a breath he had not even realised he was holding. He locked eyes with his wife, who sent him a warm smile. If only she knew what he had just gone through. She would surely find a couple of new grey hairs on him in the next few days.

Will walked over and lifted his sleeping daughter off the couch.

"I think it is time for bed."

Santana and Kurt followed him upstairs holding hands. Emma went to make sure Artie got some sleep, too, earning her a lot of protests from her sons.

* * *

><p>It was a warm October day when Puck gathered most of his siblings in Artie's room. Finn and the twins were with Emma, practicing their special reading exercises, but the small room was still almost close to bursting. How did they all fit in here for the gaming tournaments? Noah motioned for Santana and Kurt to sit down on the bed with him.<p>

_Kurt remembered they had had a very similar meeting just a couple of weeks ago. Back then it had been to plan Santana's thirteenth birthday. They had discussed presents and invitations. They had chosen a Hispanic / Cheerleading theme and the party had been a great success. _

_Emma had made a very spicy chilli and there had been a piñata in a cheerio uniform. Sue Sylvester had not thought it funny at all. Nobody knew why the woman had even been invited, she was still very much at war with Will and the glee club. The fact that Noah and especially Quinn had joined the club now seemed to only infuriate her more. She kept throwing nachos at the blond girl's head when she thought nobody was watching._

_They had danced, sung and cheered and eaten more cake and candy than was probably legally allowed - Mercedes' father would surely make a fortune off of them. _

_Kurt remembered the party had left him almost as giddy as the actual birthday girl, so he could not wait for what his brother was about to announce._

"Okay guys, as we all know Halloween is approaching."

Everyone cheered and howled.

"And we also know Halloween is the twin's birthday."

_Kurt's eyes widened, he had not known that._

"So we better start on planning an epic party. Any ideas?"

"I've already spoken to mom and dad. We are going to have a big haunted house party again." Artie said.

"Good." Noah said. "I have talked to Sam. He wants his own guitar. Dad is already on that one."

They all looked at Santana expectantly.

"Brittany wants a unicorn." the girl grimaced.

"How on earth are we supposed to grant her that wish?" Artie asked.

"I could draw her one. And maybe we could have a unicorn piñata." Kurt said. He liked piñatas.

"Clever thinking, batman!" All of his siblings echoed in unison.

The little boy beamed.

The door opened at that very moment and they all held their breaths. Luckily it was only Finn.

"Hey. Are we planning the twins' birthday?" the tall teen asked.

"Yes. Any ideas?"

"No, sorry. I just can't believe it is on Halloween again!" the tall teen was confused.

All of the other kids just looked at each other.

"Uhm, okay." Noah coughed "Moving on. Artie you research online. Try to find out if there are any unicorn toys or maybe unicorn books or something. Santana and Kurt, find out if there is anything else Brit would like. Finn and I will talk to Sam and see if there are any new DVD's out for him."

"And we all need to think of really good costumes." Santana said.

They all grinned, conspiring was so much fun.

* * *

><p><em>When Kurt finished his unicorn drawing he could not possibly feel any prouder of his work. He had worked for days on this and really loved the outcome. The unicorn was pink, purple and blue and he had used all the glitter he could find. <em>

_Emma had feared most of it would land on her son and not the picture, but the boy was surprisingly neat and talented. The mother helped him frame and wrap the present. They were also going to give the girl a stuffed unicorn toy, a few books on unicorns and a beautiful brooch they had found on a shopping trip._

_They had found a knitted unicorn sweater online and briefly considered buying it, but then Rachel Berry had appeared wearing the exact same thing. Kurt still shuddered at the memory._

Sam's presents (a guitar and several Doctor Who DVD's, as well as a drawing of the boy next to the TARDIS) were already wrapped.

They had spent two days decorating the house. There were spider- and cobwebs everywhere, a scary skeleton was dangling from the landing on the first floor, cauldrons littered the kitchen counters, bats were hanging off the ceiling and Artie had compiled a cd of spooky sounds. It was perfect.

Kurt was watching Lord Tubbington wrestle a plastic rat when his brothers appeared.

Finn was dressed up as Frankenstein, Puck had chosen to be Wolverine and Artie had some awesome zombie make up, Emma had worked hard on that. Sam had insisted on going as Justin Bieber, a costume his brothers had not deemed as scary enough, but the boy insisted nothing could make girls scream more.

Emma appeared in her witch's costume, looking very pretty.

"Kurt, sweetie. You better get changed. Go upstairs, your sisters will help you."

When the boy arrived at the girls' room he could not hide a grin. Brittany had chosen to go as the marshmallow man and looked absolutely hilarious. Ever since they had watched Ghostbusters the girl insisted there could not be a scarier costume. Santana was a very beautiful vampire.

Will appeared in the doorframe dressed as the Phantom of the Opera. Emma had fallen in love with the costume right away.

"Girls, help your little brother with his costume and then come downstairs, our guests will be arriving soon."

Santana and Brittany were not sure why they were supposed to help the boy, it was not like he could not dress himself, but they did not talk back.

Everyone had expected Kurt to want to be batman or maybe a power ranger, but while at the costume store the boy had fallen in love with something entirely different.

Santana could not help but smile when her little brother emerged from his room. He looked perfect.

"Ready for the party, Pinocchio?" she asked, adjusting his blue bow tie.

The child smiled at her and nodded excitedly.

Soon the guests started arriving. The Berry family of course being the first. The two fathers were dressed as Tin Man and Scarecrow, while Rachel was covered in green paint.

"Elphaba!" Kurt squealed, earning him a hug from the older girl.

Mike was covered in paint as well, he was dressed as Sweet, the demon from the Buffy musical episode.

Tina matched Artie in her zombie costume.

Quinn looked innocent and beautiful as Alice in Wonderland, eliciting a gasp from Santana when she appeared.

Shannon Beiste was dressed as Captain Hook and kept making jokes about wooden legs that nobody was able to understand.

Sue Sylvester's Cruella Deville costume suited her perfectly.

Kurt was convinced the award for the scariest costume should go to his best friend Mercedes, the girl had appeared in a Dolores Umbridge getup that made his blood run cold. She had even perfected that annoying little cough. Her parents were dressed as the dentist and Audrey out of Little Shop of Horrors. Her brother Marcus was a football player shortly after his death in one of the Final Destination movies.

The party was a full success. The twins loved their presents, Sam had even used his brand new guitar and given a short Justin Bieber experience concert, that had left the girl's entranced.

Kurt's favourite part had been opening the door for the trick or treaters and seeing their eyes light up at the sight of the perfectly decorated house. That was until his siblings and friends took him on their own round of trick or treating. They were about twenty-five kids and that scared the people opening their doors quite a bit.

When the party came to an end all of the kids dropped to the couches holding their bloated tummies.

"I swear our family hosts the best parties ever." Artie said.

"Yes. I cannot wait for the next one!" Finn agreed.

"Be careful what you wish for, Frankenteen." Santana warned.

"Why?" wondered Kurt.

"Because the next family event will be thanksgiving."

All of the older children groaned.

"What is wrong with thanksgiving?" the youngest asked.

"Every year we have to spend thanksgiving at Grandma Pillsbury's house."

_Kurt was confused. He had not heard of this grandmother so far. He had met Will's parents shortly after he moved in. They had visited the house and the little boy had been so nervous he had spent almost the entire time hiding away. The grandfather seemed okay, he did not say very much to him and spent almost all of his time talking to Will. The grandmother had smelled of alcohol and kept pinching his cheeks. She had also told him his eyes looked weird and that gold circles around the pupils could be a sign for liver failure. He was glad when they had left. They phoned the house regularly and sent presents on the children's birthdays, but he had not seen them since._

_Emma had never mentioned her parents so he had assumed she was an orphan like him. Judging by his siblings' reaction to this other grandmother he really did not think he wanted to meet her_.

"Don't worry, little brother. She won't hurt you."

"Yea, she just turns mom into a nervous wreck."

_It was at that precise moment that Kurt decided he did not like this grandmother._

"Did you hear that?" Finn interrupted everyone's thoughts.

The oldest kid moved to the window, followed by his siblings.

"Shit! I think someone is toilet papering our house!"

"What do we do?"

They all looked at each other.

"ATTACK!"

They all ran outside screaming.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks to everyone for their reviews! I can't believe I got this many and they have all been positive so far!<em>

_Judging by some of the comments I think people are a bit confused about the kids' ages, so here's a summary as of right now at this point in the story:_

_Kurt and Mercedes (8), _

_Karofsky and Azimio (9),_

_Artie and Tina (10), _

_Mike (12), _

_Santana, Sam and Brittany (13), _

_Puck, Finn, Rachel and Quinn (14)_

_Marcus (16)_

_So I am really sorry but when Kurt joins high school most of his siblings and their friends will have graduated, so they won't be in glee club together….might just have to fill all the empty spaces with some warblers or something._


	14. Chapter 14: Revelations

The Schuester kids and their remaining friends stormed outside screaming at the top of their lungs.

The three jocks who had barely just begun their toilet paper attack froze in their actions.

"Oh shit!" one of them uttered.

Those Schuesters sure had a whole lot of children.

They turned to run but were already surrounded by a very angry looking group of kids. The three teens gulped. There was no way they would get out of this, was there?

The tallest boy and leader of the three began looking for a way to escape. They were surrounded so they had to find a way to break free. Who was the weakest link in the tight circle that had formed around them?

To his left he could see the oldest Schuester sons, Finn and Puck, the two had just made the football team and he had seen them in practice, they were fast and strong. Next to them stood Matt Rutherford, he too was on the team and had only just recently befriended the two newbies, the quiet boy would be a strong opponent, even though he looked slightly less threatening in his Michael Jackson costume.

There was a slender Asian boy, who was younger than the jocks but looked fast, just like the blond Schuester kid next to him. There were several girls, but the jocks had some kind of pride and they would not try and hit a girl, especially not because all of them were really pretty.

Hitting the boy in the wheelchair seemed wrong as well and who knew, they might get caught in the wheels or something.

The jock focused on their two youngest and smallest opponents, a freckled little boy in a Pinocchio costume, who surely was no older than six, and a small black girl in a weird soft pink outfit. They would probably not even have to touch either of the two, just take a few quick steps towards them and it would scare them enough to let them pass. A smile tucked on the jock's lips, but just as he was preparing to move two hands came down, landing gently on each of the small children's shoulders. A tall black boy stood behind them.

"Oh shit, that's Marcus Jones!" whispered one of the other jocks.

"You guys were not about to attack my baby sister and her friend here, were you?" the quarterback asked.

Baby sister? They were screwed. Luckily they had thought to wear ski masks and nobody seemed to have recognized them yet.

All three offenders shook their heads. How on earth were they supposed to get out of this?

None of the kids noticed the group of adults approaching them.

"Harris! Ferguson! Williams!" boomed the voice of Shannon Beiste.

Oh my God! They almost pissed their pants at the sound.

"What do you think you are doing? And take off those stupid masks. I could still recognize all of my team members by the smell of fear even if I were blindfolded and drunk! And I am only half of those things!"

Noah could not help laughing earning himself glares from most of the other kids and all the adults, his parents eyes smiled at him though.

The three jocks took off their disguises and faced the crowd around them.

"I can't believe this!" Will Schuester said throwing his hands in the air before dropping them to his sides again.

Ferguson winced, he just remembered that he really needed a good grade on that next Spanish exam.

"Listen… coach….. We can explain!" Harris started

"We are all ears!" said Will

"We.. We.." the jock could not find the words.

"I say we kick their asses!" interrupted an angry Puck.

"Noah!"

"But he's right, mom. They keep giving us shit. We have done nothing to them and they just hate on us for no reason at all!" Finn supported his brother.

"Just give us one reason!" Sam said.

"Yea, did our dad flunk you in Spanish? Did our mom tell your parents about an embarrassing confession in counselling?" Santana was glaring at the older boys.

"Maybe they are jealous because they are only children." Brittany wondered.

Her siblings all looked at her.

"Wouldn't you be jealous? I mean we totally rock." she said.

"That we do!" Artie agreed making his signature preach gesture.

Everyone smiled before turning their attention back to the three scared jocks in their middle.

"We promise it is nothing personal." Williams said.

"Then what is it?"

"Listen… it was not even our idea!" Harris cried out.

"Wait.. What?" everyone looked confused.

"Who's idea was it?" Principal Figgins asked, stepping forward in an Elvis costume.

The three jocks looked at each other, silently communicating. Two of them shook their heads but Ferguson faced his coach and his principal:

"It was Coach Sylvester!"

"WHAT?"

Everyone turned to face Sue who had remained in the background.

"Okay fine, you caught me!" the tall blonde said. "Happy Halloween!"

She turned to leave and walk to her house, but Principal Figgins stopped her.

"Sue, I want to see you in my office on Monday morning!"

"Don't be silly. You want to have a talk because of a harmless Halloween prank? I have done worse in just the last two minutes and none of you even noticed!"

"We will have a talk about how you abused your authority to manipulate these children!" Figgins replied.

Sue just stormed off to her house and slammed the door behind her.

Coach Beiste faced the jocks.

"We will continue this talk on Monday, too. Then I will let you know if you can still consider yourselves members of my team. As of right now I am not so sure."

The three boys hung their heads and started walking away.

The other kids almost felt sorry for them.

"Wait!" echoed Emma's voice.

The jocks stopped.

"First you are going to clean up this mess! Can't expect my kids to do it for you!"

All of the Schuester kids smiled. Their mom rocked.

* * *

><p>On Monday morning Principal Figgins called both Will and Sue to his office. He informed Sue that she was donating another large chunk out of the Cheerios' funding to New Directions. She could not book the auditorium without checking with the glee club director first and the glee kids could use the Cheerio's personal , luxurious school bus whenever the cheerleaders did not have a competition or match to go to.<p>

Sue had argued but when the Indian man had threatened to take away her copy machine and make her seek counselling with Emma she had resigned.

Will was happy for his club but he was also smart enough to fear the wrath of the tall woman.

At lunch Shannon Beiste had informed him that she had left Harris, Ferguson and Williams with a choice, join glee club or get kicked out of the football team.

The three jocks, as well as Matt Rutherford, had joined the club the same day.

Will was excited, this got him a whole lot closer to the twelve members the club needed to be allowed to compete. He decided to put up a few more posters advertising the club right away.

* * *

><p>Kurt's day did not go quite as well. His teacher, Miss Bingham, who had been very patient with him so far, was slowly getting a little impatient with him. She could not accuse the child of not paying enough attention or not participating, the boy had found his own unique way of doing so. Whenever she asked questions that required only short answers, he would write them down in big letters on his notepad. In the beginning he would simply hold up the pad without awaiting his turn, so she had told him it was like shouting the answer to the room if he just held it up. Now he would raise his hand, wait for permission and then reveal his answer. It had been really cute in the beginning and she had been proud of the progress he made, but now she was almost desperate for him to speak. She kept catching him whispering things to his friend Mercedes. She saw him speaking to his brother in the hall, his foster mother had told her he was speaking at home.<p>

So why not in her classroom?

Some of the other children had begun complaining as well. Why did Kurt never have to read out loud? Why did the boy never have to recite a poem?

The teacher noticed the classroom atmosphere changing from curious to indifferent and now to almost hostile attitudes towards the boy.

Miss Bingham spoke to Emma Schuester. The mother assured her the boy was seeing a therapist and making steady progress, but when asked had to admit that the boy had yet to speak in therapy as well.

* * *

><p>Kurt liked therapy. He liked Dr. Davies and her weird office. He liked how she never forced him to sit still or to look at her. She allowed him to explore. She came up with all kinds of fun games. And she created a lot of different ways to work around the fact he was still afraid to let her hear his voice.<p>

Today they were playing an association game. Dr. Davies had shown him a couple of markers that looked a lot like sharpies, but she told him they were non-permanent and you could write on any surface with them and then just wipe it away.

To prove her point she had drawn a huge smiley face right over the small boy's frowning reflection in the window.

Kurt giggled.

They started their game. The doctor wrote down the word "friendship" in her green marker. The boy responded with the name "Mercedes" in blue.

Rhiannon Davies smiled. She had heard a lot about the girl from the boy's parents and siblings and she was featured in almost all the pictures the child drew.

The woman wrote down the word "family". The boy answered with the word "siblings".

Dr. Davies thought for a few seconds, then she wrote "parents".

Kurt hesitated. He knew Emma and Will were part of his family now. They were the parents. They made him and his siblings feel safe and took great care of them. He loved Emma a whole lot and he was pretty sure he loved Will, too. He knew they both loved him back.

He just could not write down their names.

Big blue eyes watered as they looked at the therapist.

"Come here, honey" the woman said and wrapped the crying boy in her arms.

"Shhh. It's okay." she gently rocked the sobbing child.

She waited a few minutes for the sobs to calm down.

"I am not here to judge you, Kurt. I am here to listen to you. There is no good or bad to what you tell me. You can't do wrong, you can't fail or mess up."

The little one looked at her with big wondering eyes.

"Do you know why you come here to see me , Kurt?"

The boy thought about writing the word "therapy" or maybe "nightmares" on the window, but he somehow figured that was not what the doctor was looking for.

"We know you could just be spending this time with Emma or Will or your siblings, right?"

The little boy nodded.

"But we also know you have a lot of things to tell. Stuff that needs to be told at some point. And when you are ready, Kurt, we don't want you to hold back because you are afraid of hurting your new family's feelings. We don't want you to feel afraid of someone judging you. And we definitely do not want you to feel guilty for what you are feeling."

She locked eyes with the small, sniffling boy.

"I miss my mommy and daddy." he whispered.


	15. Chapter 15: Victoria

Kurt sat at the desk in his room trying to do his homework. He was chewing on his bottom lip and dangling his short legs impatiently. He had no idea where to start.

The boy had finished his work for school over an hour ago. Now he was sitting down to do homework for Dr. Davies.

After his whispered confession in her office the doctor had spent a lot of time to try and convince the boy that what he was feeling was completely normal. He was allowed to miss his parents and Emma and Will would completely understand.

During their next session she had presented him with two brand new notebooks. One was bright yellow and she told him to write down any feelings he was afraid to share with his new family. Memories about his old home that came up during the day. Things that reminded him of his parents. Any conflicting thoughts about how to behave around Emma or Will.

The second notebook was blue and the doctor had called it a nightmare diary. Whenever the little boy woke up from a nightmare he was supposed to write down everything he remembered from it.

This was rather difficult because Kurt rarely remembered the bad dreams in the mornings, after falling asleep again. So he had to write them down right away, but he did not want to risk waking up Sam, so he took to sleepily wandering to the bathroom to write the nightmares down there. His new family had found him asleep on the cold tiles more than once. This had never happened with Santana or Puck, even though the two had similar diaries, so the family was concerned. Emma had even complained to Dr. Davies but after a long talk had agreed that Kurt had to face his demons and would benefit from the diary.

Every week in the doctor's office Kurt would read from one of his notebooks, it was his choice which one, as long as he wrote in both of them.

The notes in the blue diary began to change slowly. At first the boy had been writing about losing his parents. He had to live through it all again in his dreams. How he had felt watching his mother suffer for almost two years, how he had been scared to see her grow weaker and weaker, how he had wished for a way to end her pains and then the helplessness and fear when she was gone. Then when it was only him and his daddy and he was so scared of losing his father as well. Most of the nightmares were about his daddy changing, about how he barely spoke to Kurt anymore, how he never smiled anymore. And then the most terrifying and most vivid ones about coming home and finding his daddy lifeless in a large pool of blood. He had been so scared and no one had ever taught him what to do in a moment like that.

Nobody had told him how dark blood could look, that it was almost brown. Nobody had taught him about the colour of a human's brain. Nothing could have prepared him for the smell or how cold his daddy had felt.

But recently the dreams had been changing and when he opened the door to his house it was not his daddy lying there, it was one of his new siblings, or it was Emma or Will, sometimes it even was Mercedes and once it had been Dr. Davies, but he had not told her about that.

The therapist had told him it was all normal and it just showed how much he loved his new family and was afraid of losing them as well. She tried to teach him some breathing exercises that were supposed to help with the fear, she told him it was not healthy to worry so much.

It was much harder trying to write down things in the yellow notebook, often the thoughts were so fleeting or seemed so unimportant that he hardly noticed them or forgot about them right away.

Mostly he wrote about his conflicting thoughts regarding his new parents.

Kurt loved Emma and Will and he felt safe in their home, he knew he was a part of their family. When his siblings called them mom and dad he wanted to do so as well, he wanted to be no different, but then when the moment came he just could not do it. He felt like he was betraying his mommy and daddy.

When one of his siblings told him to "go ask dad" or "tell mom" he knew who to go to, he did not even blink. He just could not say it to their faces. Calling them Emma or Will seemed just as wrong though, so he now faced the problem of not being able to directly address them at all.

The boy was frustrated and closed the notebook with a huff.

He needed something else to occupy his thoughts for a while. He wished he could call his friend Mercedes and ask her to come over, but the girl was staying at her grandmother's house again. He had never known his own grandparents so he did not quite understand that whole concept of a relationship.

The older kids and Will were away checking out some glee cub competition from a rival school. They finally had the required twelve members to their group and were becoming very serious about competing.

His sisters were out with some friends and Sam and Artie had disappeared hours ago, mentioning something about a new video game.

When Kurt went downstairs he found Emma in the kitchen. The woman was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush. The closer they got to thanksgiving day the more the ginger felt the need to clean. Every surface in the house was absolutely spotless and the air constantly smelled a little like disinfectant.

The child did not quite understand what was happening. His siblings had told him that it was the grandmother who put Emma in this state, but if the older woman did not even come to visit them at their home, why did it have to be so clean?

The boy wanted to help so he joined his foster mother with his own little toothbrush, scrubbing the floor vigorously.

Emma let out a sound that could be either a laugh or a sob, the boy was not sure.

"Hey sweetie. You must think I am really crazy."

He just looked at her.

"I do not know why I am doing this. Doing this to myself, or allowing her to do this to me." Emma shrugged.

Kurt moved closer and allowed her to pull him in for a hug.

"She always had this power over me. I don't know why. She just makes me feel so insecure and small. Even now, when I am a grown woman with a family of my own. A big and wonderful family."

Kurt hugged back.

"I don't think she would have ever managed to deal with seven kids, a husband and a job like mine."

The boy just looked at her, he could not think of anything to say.

"She never worked you know. She just organised these charity events and felt like she was making a change, but she never really did."

The child rested his head on her shoulder.

"She spent most of my dad's money on antique furniture and paintings. She bought tea cups that were probably just as expensive as our car."

The boy was sure this must be an exaggeration, the woman looked serious though.

"She got married seven times. My father left her widowed when she was still pretty young. She was left alone with me and my brother and I guess she wanted to find a man to love all of us. She never did. None of the marriages lasted. I bet she gets divorce discounts by now."

Emma snorted.

"When I met Will she was against the relationship, you know. He was not rich and he was divorced, like she should be judging anyone because of that. Marrying him was the first thing I ever did against her will. Well, that and working as a counsellor. Oh and she hated that I kept my job. And that we chose to adopt."

She looked at her small child.

"Oh, honey. I can't believe I am unloading all this on you. Don't worry. We will get through the holiday just fine."

They both went back to scrubbing the floor until something seemed to dawn on the mother.

"Kurtie, is that your actual toothbrush you are using?"

* * *

><p>Thanksgiving day arrived much sooner than they all wished for. Emma was a nervous wreck by now, after she had scrubbed every surface in their house so much the colours were beginning to fade, she had started rearranging the furniture, just to put it back in the exact same places.<p>

She had come up with new systems of storing the food in the pantry, the DVD's in the living room and the medication in the bathroom cabinet, but changed her mind after only a day. She had washed both her and Will's car twice in just one week, even though it was getting close to freezing outside.

She went on a diet and exercised whenever she could. At one point she even considered hiring Sue Sylvester as her personal trainer. Will had been able to prevent this at the very last minute.

She had taken all of her children to get new haircuts and clothes. They had all been thoroughly checked by their family doctor and by Mercedes' father, which had earned the twins and Artie brand new braces, something they were still sulking over.

Still Emma barely slept, wondering if there was something she had forgotten, something that would brand her a bad wife or mother.

Will and the children hated seeing her like this.

They would stay over at Mrs. Pillsbury's house for one night and of course their bags had been packed, unpacked and repacked about a dozen times.

The tense atmosphere left Kurt very nervous and insecure, he was afraid for his new mother and looked paler than usual, losing sleep over worrying so much. He barely spoke.

They drove in two cars, Will had tried to convince Emma to just rent the van again, but she had been sure it would make her mother judge them as white trash.

Will took Finn, Puck, Sam and Artie. Emma took Kurt and the girls. Everyone knew Kurt would refuse to leave the mother's side and Santana had become so incredibly protective of the small boy that there had been no discussion at all.

They had all been worried if Emma was actually up for the long drive, but she seemed more focused on this day than she had been in weeks.

After about two hours the cars pulled up in front of what could only be called a mansion.

Kurt gasped, this looked like something out of a fairytale, his new grandmother must be an evil queen of some kind.

"Wait until you see the inside." his sisters whispered in unison.

They grabbed their bags and slowly walked up to the huge front door. A butler opened and motioned for them to enter.

"Mrs. Pillsbury is waiting for you in the lounge."

"Of course she is." mumbled Puck.

"Noah!" the mother did not sound angry at all.

They left their luggage with the arrogant looking employee and walked towards what Kurt expected to be the lounge.

A woman got up from a weird looking couch to greet them.

"Emma, darling."

She gave her daughter a brief kiss on the cheek.

"Mother." Emma greeted.

"Will."

The man only got a look.

"Nice to see you again, Victoria. You look lovely as always."

"Thank you very much." the woman looked like she had smelled something bad.

"Oh and you brought all of the children."

Emma huffed.

Of course they had brought all their children! What did this woman expect!

Will gently squeezed her hand.

Victoria moved to Finn.

"My God! What on earth are you feeding this one? He is never going to stop growing."

"Hello Grandmother." the teen greeted politely.

"Emma! What happened to this one's hair?" the woman said looking at Puck.

Emma ignored the comment and Puck pretended to cough before he said something he might regret.

Mrs. Pillsbury moved on to her granddaughters.

"These two are going to be trouble, Emma." she sighed.

Her daughter balled her fists and bit her lip so hard it almost bled.

The woman moved on to Sam and just shook her head, then looked at Artie and sighed deeply. The two boys seemed to have disappointed her greatly.

Then she looked around searching for something.

"Did you not mention there was a new one?"

Emma wondered if her mother would ever stop speaking about her children like they were inanimate objects, or maybe even address one by their name.

"Yes mother." she moved forward and gently took Kurt by the hand, the little boy had been hiding behind his sisters.

"This is Kurt. Honey, this is my mother, Victoria Pillsbury."

The child looked to the floor.

"How old is he?" the grandmother asked.

Emma briefly considered reminding her mother that they had had this conversation on the phone about five times since Kurt moved in with the family, but decided to play along.

"He is eight years old."

"A little small for eight, isn't he?"

The daughter bit her tongue. So she fed her oldest son to well and the youngest not enough, was that going to be it?

"He is perfectly fine."

"He is pale."

"Well, so am I. So are you."

This earned her a look from her mother that might have scared her a couple of years ago, but nobody was allowed to criticize her children.

The older woman reached out and grabbed Kurt's chin so he had to look up to her. Her long fingernails hurt his skin, but he bit his tongue and did not make a sound.

"He is freckled!" the grandmother seemed appalled. "Maybe we got some lemon juice in the house."

"Mother! No!"

Before the woman could call for her butler Emma stepped in between her and her son.

"We are not going to bleach my son's freckles. They are absolutely perfect and we love every single one of them."

"Yes, we do." Will agreed while pulling his wife back a little just in case.

"I've named them." Brittany piped up.

All of the older kids giggled.

Kurt wrapped his arms tightly around Emma's waist, she could tell he did not like it here and regretted forcing her children to come.

Victoria decided to ignore the child's obvious distress.

"Well, I am going to check on Rosalita in the kitchen." she turned to face Santana "Would you like to join me?"

The latina turned to give her father a look that could only mean one thing " Let. Me. Kill. Her. Now."

Will slung an arm around his daughter's shoulder.

"Why don't you go ahead, Victoria. I think Emma and the children would like to take a few minutes to freshen up."

"Or plot murder." Puck whispered.

"Alright then. I will see you later. Make sure the children wash their hands before dinner, will you Emma?"

The older woman did not wait for a response and walked away.

The Schuester family broke into a chorus of whispered curses. Will pulled Emma and Kurt into a hug while the older children compared their favoured methods of torture.

"Just remind yourself that she promised to pay for their college tuitions." the husband whispered to his wife.

Emma nodded against his shoulder and took a deep breath.

"We will be out of here in twenty-four hours, right?" she asked.

"Yes, we will."

"Just think of it this way mom" Finn said "it can't possibly get much worse."

At that moment they heard the loud sound of the front door slamming shut and a few seconds later a man entered the room.

"Emma-Wemma! Come and give your brother a hug!"


	16. Chapter 16: Donald, Dinner, Drama

The family turned around to face the tall man. Like his mother, Donald Pillsbury had dark blonde hair and grey eyes. Unlike his mother he wore a huge smile on his face.

They moved forward to greet him.

"How are you doing, pumpkin?" he asked hugging his sister.

"Hey Donnie." Emma returned the hug and gave him a weak smile.

"Ah! I see the dragon has struck already, hasn't she?" he grinned.

Emma just sighed while Donnie and Will exchanged a one-armed hug.

"How are you, William? Still changing the world one kid at a time?"

"I can only try."

Donnie laughed and then stopped as he noticed the small boy clinging to his sister's side.

"By God Finn! What happened to you?" he grabbed the boy and swung him over his shoulder.

"Everybody move we need to get him to a doctor!"

Al l of the older children just rolled their eyes while Kurt was close to a panic attack.

"Maybe we should use the helicopter!"

Before the man could start swinging the frightened child around Will stepped in and took the boy from his arms. Kurt immediately ran back to Emma's side.

"Oh." Donald frowned, he knelt down next to the little boy.

"Hey buddy. I am really sorry. I did not mean to scare you."

The man looked up at Emma with a guilty expression on his face. "Oops."

Emma huffed, she was used to her brother not thinking ahead of his actions. She wrapped her arms around her young son and tried to calm him down.

"This visit is not good for him." she said turning to her husband. "We should not have done this."

The woman felt soft a hand on her arm and looked up. Her daughters were standing in front of her.

"It is going to be okay, mommy." Brittany said.

Santana turned to Kurt, lifting his trembling chin and looking into his eyes.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

The little boy nodded, his blue eyes shining with tears.

"Then come with me and Brit, we will show you something fun, okay?"

He hesitated and looked at Emma, who tried to give him an encouraging smile. Looking back up to his sister he nodded and allowed her to lead him upstairs.

The adults watched the three children walk away.

"I am really sorry, Emma. I was not thinking." Donnie said.

"You never do, Don." the ginger replied.

There was a cough coming from the four boys standing next to the adults.

"Did you bring us any presents, uncle Donnie?"

"Oh you bet I did! You guys are going to love this! Let's go to my room, okay?"

Before the man could lead the children upstairs he was stopped by his sister.

"No piercings. No tattoos. No drugs or alcohol. No weapons or fireworks."

"Oh Emma-Wemma, you are no fun!" he laughed.

"If I am going to trust you with my sons you have to promise me I will get them back just as they are now."

"I promise."

The boys looked incredibly disappointed.

They started their walk towards the stairs, Finn pushing Artie's wheelchair towards an old-fashioned looking small elevator to the side.

"No live animals!" Emma yelled after them, and then after thinking for a few seconds "No dead animals! No animals at all! Nothing dangerous! Nothing illegal! I swear I will hunt you down if you corrupt my sons, Donald!"

The man just laughed as he handed Puck his bag to carry and slung an arm around Sam. Both boys looked at him like he was some kind of superhero.

Emma whined and hid her face in her husbands broad chest.

"I come from a family of drunk, self-absorbed freaks! Why did you ever marry me?"

Will hugged her tightly.

"Don't be silly, my love. You know I'm only in it for the money." he grinned.

The woman could not help but laugh and it came out as the cutest little snort Will had ever heard.

He kissed her hair, her forehead and then placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips.

"It is only for a day, honey."

"I know. We can do this." she tried to convince herself.

"Anything I can do for you?" he asked.

"Let me clean something?"

He smiled and took her by the hand.

"Why don't we go and see how Kurt and the girls are doing?"

* * *

><p>After searching for a good fifteen minutes - this house was huge - they found the three kids in one of the largest bathrooms one could imagine.<p>

Everything was made of marble and gold and even though Emma grew up in this place it still reminded her of a palace.

The thing that reminded her of not actually being royalty, was the fact her three young children were standing in a large whirlpool-like bathtub, wearing nothing but their underwear, pouring what looked like bottles of bubble bath into the water. There was foam everywhere.

The mother's first instinct was to tell her children what a mess they were creating, how a poor housemaid would have to clean all of this up later and how each of the bottles probably cost more than a hundred dollars.

Looking at her children though all she could see were the smiles on their faces and she could not help but pull them all in for a hug.

"Thank you." she whispered in her daughters' ears.

She looked at Kurt who had a kind of warrior make up on his face, he would have looked like a football player., but the stripes under his eyes were white instead of black.

"You okay, sweetie?" she asked holding him close.

The boy nodded. She did not expect to hear his voice until they were safely back home. Instead of allowing her mind to wonder what all the kids had poured into the water she sat on the edge of the tub , took off her shoes and allowed her feet to soak in the water.

Will smiled at his wife and children, he knew they needed this moment of relaxation.

"I am going to check on Donald and the boys. You did tell him no explosives, right?"

He could not help but laugh as his wife's eyes widened in shock.

* * *

><p>They took their time getting ready for dinner, all of them dreading sitting down with Victoria.<p>

They were all dressed in their Sunday's best, the girls now wearing brand new necklaces their uncle had given them. The older boys refused to tell about the gift's they had received, which did not help easing their parent's minds.

Kurt had received a small parcel of his own, but had not dared to open it yet. Emma was not sure if the child was merely shy or afraid the thing might explode, she would not blame him if he was.

As they walked past the entrance to the rather enormous kitchen they heard Victoria give some final instructions to her staff. The woman could rival Sue Sylvester. Emma briefly felt sorry for the employees but then remembered that they most likely earned more than she did.

Harold, the butler, motioned for them to take their seats in the dining room.

The table was set looking like they were expecting a royal banquet. Other parents would have surely had to remind their children not to touch anything, but the older Schuester kids had been through this several times and Kurt seemed to have withdrawn back to his own little world. He just sat on his chair hugging his pink power ranger tightly. Emma ran her fingers through his chestnut hair.

The only one who seemed to have some trouble behaving was Donald, he sat swinging his legs and nudging the boys next to him, winking at his sister across the table.

Emma sighed, she could not remember when she had last felt like the younger of the two, which she was by four years. Her brother seemed to be allergic to responsibility, he had barely graduated high school and only gotten into a good college due to his family's name and money. He had switched subjects so often that he probably did not remember them all himself and he never got a degree.

He had worked some odd jobs, committing to none of them for more than a few months, he used to joke about his relationship with work being very much like the one he had with women.

A couple of years ago he had discovered his love for photography and now travelled the world looking for the perfect shot. Occasionally he would be able to sell a picture to a magazine, but everyone knew he was living off his mother's wealth.

Victoria Pillsbury did not seem to mind, Donald was her obvious favourite. The golden boy. Nobody seemed to be able to hold a grudge towards the man. Emma just worried about her sons adoring him so much, he was anything but a role model. There had been a long history of alcohol and drug abuse and you just never knew what to expect. In spite of it all she loved her brother and knew he would never intentionally harm her children, sometimes she felt like he was one of them, but they never got to see him more than once or twice a year.

"When do you think the queen will arrive?" Donnie asked with a smirk.

As if she had been waiting for her cue Victoria Pillsbury entered the room and waited for Harold to pull out her chair so she could sit down.

When the older woman was seated she looked expectantly to her guests.

"Everything looks absolutely lovely, Victoria." Will said.

"Oh thank you, William. It was a lot of work."

Puck and Santana exchanged a glance that could only mean they were wondering who's work it actually had been, but they remained silent. Emma sent them a grateful smile.

"Why don't we start by saying grace?" Victoria said and immediately proceeded to do exactly that.

In spite of her personality the woman seemed to be grateful for an awful lot of things and the rest of the family found themselves getting lost in their own thoughts.

"… and finally my wonderful son Donnie:" the woman concluded.

Emma briefly wondered if she and her family had been included, but judging by the look on Will's face they had not.

Donnie was thankful for his wonderful job that took him all around the world and of course his freedom.

Emma was thankful for her husband and children.

Will was grateful for his beautiful wife and children, for his job and the glee club.

Finn and Puck were both happy to have made the football team.

Brittany was thankful for magic, crickets, unicorns, her family, Lord Tubbington and strawberry ice cream.

Santana was grateful for her family and friends.

Sam was thankful for the new X-Men movie, his family and chapstick.

Artie thanked for his family and the invention of computer games.

Everyone looked at Kurt even though none of them actually expected him to speak. The child had had a horrible year and probably nothing to be thankful for. To everyone's surprise he spoke.

"Family." the little boy whispered and Emma and Santana both hugged him.

"We are grateful for you, buddy." Will said.

"Yes, I am glad I am not the baby anymore." Artie added.

Everyone smiled.

"Oh my, Emma. You had me convinced the child was a retarded mute." Victoria said.

"Mother!"

Can you blame me? You do have a very interesting collection."

"I do not have a collection! I have a family! I know the concept is not familiar to you, but get used to it."

Victoria just raised her eyebrows and Will took Emma's hand to calm her down.

Donnie was allowed to work on the turkey and he made such a spectacle of it that it helped cheering at least the children up again.

They ate in silence for a few minutes.

"So Emma, darling. Brittany is blossoming into a very beautiful young lady. Have you considered making her a debutante?"

"Most certainly not, mother."

"Why not?"

"Because she is only thirteen years old, the same age as her sister Santana by the way, in case you forgot about her she is sitting right over there."

"I can see her. I just did not think this might be her type of thing."

"Well, it was not my type of thing either."

"Yes, I still regret that. Maybe I should have been stricter with you."

"You were strict enough."

"Maybe. But if I had interfered more maybe you would not have spent so much time on your crazy cleaning orgies, you would not have made yourself infertile by inhaling too much disinfectant and you could have become a respectable member of society."

"Victoria." Will interrupted. "Emma is a very important and respected member of society."

The older woman did not even seem to hear him.

"I remember the Anderson boy was at the ball that year. What a wonderful family. It would have been a match made in heaven."

Emma was fuming and biting her tongue.

"Mind you, they have had their downfall as well. Last I heard the young man eloped with an Asian woman. There are rumours they have children. Can you imagine that?"

"Why should we not be able to imagine that?" Donnie asked.

"Oh, honey." she reached for his hand. "Having children of mixed race is just as bad as having retarded or crippled ones."

"Okay! That's it." Will stood up so fast his chair fell over. "We are leaving."

"Kids, get your bags." Emma added.


	17. Chapter 17: Stories

"No! Wait! Please!" Donald was blocking the way out.

"Donnie, we can't stay here. I'm really sorry, but I'm not going to listen to her insulting my children like that. Will and I spend all our time convincing them how wonderful they are and telling them what they can achieve and it takes her just a few minutes to ruin it all! I am not letting this happen! It is bad enough that she managed to screw up the two of us."

"What do you mean? We are great, sis:" Donnie tried his most infectious smile.

"Oh we are perfect. You are a forty-five year old toddler and it took me years of therapy to get over my OCD! And I just spent weeks scrubbing my home with a toothbrush!"

"Emma please.."

"No! She has no right to speak like that!"

"I know, but don't you know what day it is?"

"What?" Emma was confused until the current date seemed to dawn on her. "Oh."

"Yes."

"What's going on?" Will asked "What day is it?"

"It is the anniversary of our father's death." Emma replied, she could not believe she had forgotten.

"Oh." Will and the older kids looked down.

"Please stay, pumpkin." Donnie begged.

"That still doesn't make what she said okay."

"She's drunk, sis."

"That just makes it worse. It means she isn't acting. I'm not allowing her to hurt my children."

"Nobody said you have to. She is hurting, Ems. She is lonely and hurting and she is lashing out."

"Mom." Finn interrupted them looking confused.

"Yes, honey?"

"Look at grandma."

The adults turned to look at the older woman, only now registering how strangely quiet she had kept throughout the whole argument. Victoria Pillsbury sat at the head of the table, her head resting against the back of her thrown-like chair and snored.

"She fell asleep." Emma could not believe it.

The kids giggled at a particularly loud snore.

"Please stay, Emma. I want to talk to you. I want to play with the kids."

Emma turned to look at Will who just shrugged. The decision was up to her. She looked at her children, none of them looked permanently damaged.

"Well, it is a long drive…" she started but before she could finish the sentence her brother had picked her up and swung her around in a circle.

Donnie laughed happily. He turned to look at Will and the children:

"You guys try the food, okay. There is something I really need to show my sister."

The man took the ginger woman by her hand and led her out of the room, looking over her shoulder she could see her two oldest sons cutting some large pieces out of the turkey.

"Oh my, Finn won't be able to sleep." she thought.

Donald led her to a room at the other end of the ground floor. She recognised where they were heading before they reached it. She was confused when her brother opened the door and motioned for her to go inside.

"That's dad's old office." she whispered.

She remembered the room, when she was little she had never been allowed inside, her dad had told her she would distract him too much. Probably because of that it had always held a strange kind of attraction to her. Inside it looked like a little library, one long wall was completely covered by a shelf that reached from the floor to the ceiling and held some ancient looking, heavy books. It had always smelled like her dad's pipe in there. After he died she had snuck in ever so often, just running her fingers along the backs of the books and inhaling the scent that reminded her of her father. Her mother had found out and one day she had found the room locked and never entered again. Now the door was open and she carefully stepped inside.

"Why are you taking me here?" she asked, inhaling the air that still smelled just as she remembered.

"I want to show you something." her brother replied.

Emma looked around. Everything was just as it had been the last time she had visited here.

"Does mom use it as her office now?" she wondered out loud.

"No, she only comes here when she misses him."

"Oh." Emma was not sure what to think about that.

"Come here." Donald ushered her to stand behind the desk. "Take a look."

Emma stood behind the giant oak desk. It looked so massive she wondered how many men it would take to lift it. Her father's antique fountain pen was lying in its place. The pipe lying just a little to the left of it.

"She makes Harold smoke in here from time to time to keep the scent." Donald explained.

Emma looked shocked.

"Keep looking." the man instructed.

Emma noticed the desk now housed several picture frames where there had only been one when she was young. A silver frame with a picture of her young, smiling mother holding her two small children close. The frame and picture were still there. Next to it were similar frames with photos of Donald's and her own graduation. There was also a framed picture of Donald on some kind of mountain, talking to what looked like a Tibetan monk. All these pictures were on the right side of the desk.

"Look to the left." Donnie whispered and Emma gasped.

On the left side all of the frames held pictures of herself and her family. There was her wedding picture and photos of each of her kids at different ages. There was even the photo of Kurt playing with Lord Tubbington, which she had sent her mother shortly after the boy had moved in. The largest frame held a family picture that had served as last year's Christmas card. Emma gently stroked the frame.

"She updates that one every year." the brother supplied.

"I don't understand." Emma whispered.

"Do you not remember how you were his favourite? How proud he was of you? We were still so young when he died and he already knew you would become someone important. I think the only reason mom chose to favour me was to balance things out. She was so strict with you because she did not want you to disappoint him. I guess it doesn't help that you look just like him."

Emma's eyes were shining with tears.

"I know she can be narrow-minded and rude and I am not trying to apologise for her, okay? Just.. I don't know… trying to let you see where it is coming from."

The woman hugged her brother and cried, she cried for a long time and he just held her, which was exactly what she needed. For the first time in more than thirty years she felt like the younger sibling.

When the two siblings returned to the dining room Victoria's chair was empty.

"Harold took her to bed. " Artie explained innocently.

The older children giggled and Will and Emma blushed. Donald laughed out loud while reaching for a piece of turkey. They finished their dinner as a family, talking happily in between bites. Finn and Puck tried to impress their uncle with their high school adventures while the rest of the kids just wanted to know which countries the man had visited and what he had seen. Sam was very keen on knowing if his uncle had any proof on the existence of the Yeti. The man just chuckled and launched into a series of adventure stories Will and Emma could only roll their eyes at. The children were completely enthralled, even little Kurt relaxed and his eyes got wide listening to the adventures.

After dinner they moved to the lounge. A dozen stories later Artie was snoring noisily in his wheelchair, rivalling his grandmother. Kurt was sleeping with his head resting in his sister's lap and Sam looked cute but unsuccessful trying to stifle yawns and fighting off sleep.

"Okay, kids. Time for bed." Will said.

The older boys began to argue but the father was able to bribe Finn with a ten minute phone call to Rachel. Puck simply knew when he was beat.

Emma was busy tucking her youngest son in when the little boy awoke. He was sharing the room with Santana and Britney at his own request. The other boys were all sharing one of the very large guest rooms. Kurt was lying on a pull-out couch while his sisters shared a large bed that looked like it belonged to a real princess. Britney had told everyone that she had the best dreams of her life in that bed. Emma gently brushed some hair out of her son's forehead. The boy leaned into her touch and she smiled.

"This used to be my room, you know." she told him.

The child was awed. He had never seen a house as large as this before and while most of the rooms had reminded him of a field trip to the museum he really loved this one. The furniture was white and everything looked clean and pretty, not old and dusty like the stuff in the other rooms. Not that anything was really dusty, the staff made sure of it, but to Kurt everything just smelled old and stale. Emma turned to look at the small parcel lying on the vanity table.

"Would you like to open your present? That way you can thank uncle Donnie before we leave - or I at least get to scold him." she smiled.

The small boy thought about it for a minute, then he nodded. Emma helped him unwrap the present. Inside they found a small box made of sandalwood , it was carved beautifully and made both of them gasp.

"Oh how pretty." Emma said and the boy smiled.

They opened the box, the insides were covered in velvet and there were several small figurines lying in it. They seemed to be made of jade or something similar.

"Ooh." the boy ran his fingertips over the smooth surface.

There was a small yellow bird and a green elephant, the third stone was shaped like a dolphin. The boy looked up to his foster mother, his eyes seemed to be asking if theses pretty things were really meant for him.

"Do you like them, sweetie?"

He nodded and smiled at her, his eyes shining with tears. The mother hugged him close and kissed his hair.

"What did you get?" Santana and Britney were standing next to them trying to look at the present.

Kurt showed them proudly and they started cooing over him and the figurines. Emma smiled.

"Five more minutes, okay. We all need our sleep." she said as she left the room.

She rand into her husband in the hall. The man pulled her close and kissed her on the lips.

"How are the boys?" she asked.

"Hyper." the man replied. "We will be forced to listen to uncle Donnie stories until January, I'm sure."

"What did he get them?" Emma asked.

Will grinned and rubbed his neck.

"I am sorry, I had to promise not to tell you."

"Please?" the woman begged kissing his chin.

"I can't, I had to swear an oath."

"Oh God. He did not get them the Kama sutra, did he?" Emma feared the worst.

"No." Will laughed. "Do you really think Noah would be able to keep that a secret?"

The woman smiled and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist. She felt so calm and protected around him.

"Let's get some sleep. We need all our strength to say goodbye to my mother tomorrow."

"I can't wait to get home."

"Me neither and I know the children miss their friends. I know Finn and Puck were texting under the table and I think Kurt is going through Mercedes withdrawal. I will miss my brother though, he seems more stable and he actually did something nice for me."

"Maybe we could invite him for Christmas?"

"Christmas and Donnie? The boys would explode!"

They reached their room and went to bed. Both of them slept like stones, even though Will had some weird dreams involving the Kama sutra.

When they woke up the next morning Emma could not help but groan, she really did not feel like facing her mother. She went to wake up her boys but apparently her hyper brother had gotten there sooner and they were already engaged in a pillow fight. When she entered her old room she found all three children asleep on the large bed. She smiled at the sight of Kurt cuddled up in between his sisters. She kissed all three children.

"Rise and shine, my angels. We need to get ready to go home."

"Mercedes." Kurt beamed.

"I just hope Rachel remembered to feed Lord Tubbington." Brittany mumbled.

"I am sure she did. Now get ready, we need to have breakfast with your grandma."

Everyone groaned and Emma could not blame them. She went back to join Will.

"Think positive." the man said. "Maybe she's really hung over!"


	18. Chapter 18: Hiding

Since her husband had not yet returned to their room Emma went looking for him in the boys' room.

She finally found Will, her sons and her brother fighting what appeared to be an epic water battle in one of the bathrooms. It was not the same bathroom Kurt and the girls had had their foam party in and the mother immediately began thinking of ways to apologise to the housemaids.

After the parents had managed to convince all boys, including Donald, to return to their rooms and get dressed, Emma insisted on cleaning up the worst of the mess and Will of course stayed and helped her. By the time all the children were dressed and ready their parents were absolutely drenched.

Waiting for their mother and father the Schuester children got very bored.

"Let's play something." Sam said.

"We don't have any video games here." replied Artie.

"Well, use your heads and think of something else then!" Santana was getting impatient.

"But what?" Finn looked lost.

"Let's play hide and seek!" Brittany beamed.

"Okay. I will count to ten. Run!" Puck immediately began counting and his siblings ran away in different directions as fast as they could.

Kurt tried to keep up with his sisters, but he tripped on a rug and when he looked up all of his siblings were gone.

"TEN!" Puck's voice echoed through the halls.

The small boy quickly ran down a hallway to his right, eager not to be the first one to be found. It was hard enough being the newest, youngest and shortest member of the family, there were a lot of games he had no chance of winning, all he wanted now was not to be the one Puck found first. He reached a large door at the end of the hall and fearing discovery at any second opened it quickly. He entered the room and closed the heavy door behind himself. Breathing heavily he leaned back against the door and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he noticed he had entered a very large and expensive looking bedroom. Then he noticed something even worse: he was not alone.

Victoria Pillsbury sat at her vanity table. The woman had her back to him and he could only hope she had not heard or seen him enter. He held his breath trying to think of a way to escape. He did not think he could open the door again and sneak out without being noticed. What should he do?

"Now what do we have here?" Victoria asked locking gazes with the child in her mirror.

The little boy gasped. How was he supposed to get out of this?

"Did you disturb my morning routine so you could show me how well you imitate a fish?" she asked.

Suddenly Kurt thought being the first sibling to be found by his older brother was not such a bad thing after all. He slowly turned around and reached for the door.

"Come here." the woman said before his small hand could even reach the handle.

He turned around again facing the grandmother. His eyes were wide with fear and all he wanted to do was run but he could not move his legs. He hugged the pink power ranger to his chest and held his breath.

"Are you afraid of me?" she asked.

Of course he was afraid of her. She turned his strong, brave foster mother into a nervous wreck, she insulted about everyone he knew and he was pretty sure there were fairy tales that starred her as the villain. He was too scared to even try and make a sound though, so he simply nodded.

"Come here." Victoria said again and waved him over to where she was seated.

The little boy gulped, but he saw no way to get out of this, he took very slow steps towards her. He did not think that Noah would come looking for him in here. If his siblings knew who's bedroom this was they were probably avoiding the entire hall. What if they never came looking for him? What if he had to stay in here forever? What if this woman actually hurt him? Maybe she ate children or made hats out of their skin! He was so scared he could not keep his bottom lip from trembling.

"Come a bit closer. Let me look at you."

Oh no! Wasn't this exactly how the story of Hans and Gretel and the witch started? Maybe she was going to keep him in a cage, feed him until he was fat enough to cook.

The woman grabbed him by his small shaking shoulders. He closed his eyes and prayed for someone to come find him. He wanted nothing more than for Emma to come and take him into her arms.

"Why are you so scared of me?" the woman asked. "I don't eat children. And you're just skin and bones anyways."

The woman was laughing but Kurt did not think she was joking. She had basically just confirmed his theory. She was going to keep him until he was grown up and fat and then she was going to have him cooked by her butler. He tried to remember what last night's turkey had looked like. Had it really been a bird? The little boy began to cry.

"Oh don't cry, silly child." Victoria sounded almost concerned but her tone was not soothing like Emma's would be.

She took some tissues out of a porcelain box on the table and began dabbing at the boy's pale cheeks.

"Do you really think I would harm you?" she seemed shocked.

Kurt could not answer her, he was still sobbing and hiccoughing, he only managed the tiniest of nods.

* * *

><p>By the time Emma and Will were ready and came looking for their children Puck had only managed to find Artie and Finn. The two boys had been hiding behind a curtain, the wheels of Artie's chair in plain sight. Judging by the look on the younger boy's face the hiding spot had been Finn's choice.<p>

"We need to have breakfast soon, boys." Emma said. "Go and call your siblings."

"And then we will be on our way home." Will promised.

The parents went downstairs while the three boys went looking for their brothers and sisters. After about half an hour the children appeared in the dining room where their parents and uncle were already waiting.

"Where is Kurt?" the mother asked.

"We can't find him." Santana replied, looking concerned. She knew she should have stayed close to him.

"What do you mean you can't find him?" Will furrowed his eyebrows.

"We looked everywhere. We called his name. We just can't find him."

"Okay. Everyone stay calm. I'm sure he is okay." Donnie said.

"It is a big house." Will tried to help.

"Girls, go check your bedroom again. He liked it there." Emma instructed. "Will go check the bathrooms. Boys go check every hiding place in this house, maybe he is just really good."

She tried to sound as confident as possible, but she was really worried. The boy was still so small and the house could be strange and frightening. It was so easy to get lost in the long confusing halls.

"Donnie, would you stay here in case he finds his way?"

"Of course, pumpkin."

The family set off looking, but there was no sign of the little boy.

Emma and the girls were close to panicking. What if the child had tried to hide in one of the many closets or chests in the halls and accidentally got himself locked in? What if he could not breathe? The family started another round, opening every piece of furniture, every closet or storage room. A couple of doors were locked and Will went looking for Harold to get the keys. Another half hour later Will, Harold and Donnie had begun searching the grounds, Emma did not think the boy would have gone outside on his own, but the thought of the large pond still made her shiver. The mother and children were still searching inside the house. They finally reached the one room they had not searched yet.

"Do one more round, then go and wait in the dining room." the ginger woman instructed her children.

After the kids had left she took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in." called her mother's voice.

Emma slowly opened the door. As a child she had rarely been allowed in this room. She had hated not being able to go to her parents when she had had a nightmare or when there was a particularly bad storm outside. Her brother had been no help at all, so the little girl had usually ended up with one of the maids. When she got older she had stopped looking for help, she had simply begun cleaning her room.

The room was pretty and much brighter than Emma remembered. She wondered about how she should ask her mother if she had seen the boy but before she could open her mouth she saw them.

Both Victoria and Kurt were sitting on a padded bench-like piece of furniture in front of the large vanity table. Both of them seemed to have some kind of beauty face mask covering their features. It looked completely unreal and Emma blinked twice before she believed it. The boy got up as soon as he saw his foster mother's reflection in the mirror. He ran towards her.

"Oh sweetie!" she called out.

For a brief moment Emma thought about the substance covering her child's face and the fact she was wearing her last pieces of clean and dry clothing, but then she simply did not care. The ginger woman opened her arms and crushed the little boy to her chest.

"We have been looking for you everywhere! We were so worried."

The child cuddled into her arms.

"Kurt kept me company for my morning routine. I taught him everything there is to know about properly moisturising."

Emma could only gape, while Victoria approached them and started cleaning the boy's face with a moist towelette.

"There is no reason he should not know about good skin care, just because it is not important to his mother." Victoria sighed while looking at her daughter's features. "Your pores are huge, darling."

Emma did not know what to say, for a woman in her forties she had perfect skin, but this was not the time to argue with the older woman. Right now she was just happy to be reunited with her youngest son. She looked closely at the little boy, his eyes were still a little red, so she could tell he had been crying.

"Are you okay, baby?" she whispered.

Kurt just nodded and hugged her tightly.

"Why don't you take the child down for breakfast. He must be hungry and it might be his last decent meal. God knows what you feed those children in your house."

Emma bit her tongue and did not reply, instead she took her son by his ranger-free hand and started for the door.

"I will join you shortly. Tell Harold I want my special coffee"

"Alright, mother." Emma could only guess that the special coffee contained some kind of alcohol.

When the smiling woman and her youngest son finally reached the dining room everyone began cheering.

"Oh my God!" his siblings exclaimed.

"Kurt! Where have you been?"

"We were looking for you everywhere!"

"I think you won hide and seek." Brittany said while hugging him close and kissing his hair.

The little boy smiled. It felt good to be missed. He felt loved.

"Where was he?" Will asked his wife.

"You are never going to believe me." she told him smiling at her children's little hug-fest.

"Where on earth were you?" Puck questioned his little brother.

Before the boy could reply Victoria entered the room.

"Kurt and I and a little talk in my room. We spent some time getting to know each other." she said.

"Dude, did you speak to her?" Finn whispered looking confused.

Kurt only shook his head.

"He is a wonderful listener." Victoria said.

Everyone looked at the boy like they were waiting for him to contradict the woman and tell them how she had tortured him in a dark chamber in the cellar. He simply shrugged and sat at the table, reaching for a grapefruit. The family joined him and they had a rather pleasant breakfast together.

When it was time for the Schuester family to leave Donnie went around hugging everyone, promising to send postcards from his next journey, but the family knew him well enough to know he never would.

When it was her turn to say goodbye Victoria approached the family, she briefly kissed Emma on the cheek and wished them a safe journey home. When she reached out her hand to gently touch Kurt's face Emma almost expected her to say something nice. Maybe she had formed a special bond with the boy.

"I really wish you would allow me to bleach those freckles." was what the older woman said instead.

"Goodbye mother." Emma sighed.

The family piled into their cars and drove off, happy to finally be heading back home.

Kurt fell asleep dreaming of moisturisers and how he needed to tell Mercedes that channelling your inner Victoria could make you invincible. Nobody could hurt you as long as you knew you were better than them, held your head high and kept a sharp tongue.


	19. Chapter 19: Discovery

Things went back to being really busy at the Schuester household.

Will was preparing his glee club for Sectionals, which were taking place a little later this year. They were holding emergency practices whenever they could, most of them at the Schuester's house and even when they were not practicing Rachel was over sharing one of her many ideas, mostly involving her singing solos.

Things were hectic and the house felt crowded, but Emma was back to being her calm old self and managed everything perfectly. That was until the day in early December, when she was downstairs in their basement, sorting through her children's dirty laundry and found a condom wrapper in her son's jeans. An empty condom wrapper, in the jeans of her fourteen year old son.

Emma sat back and stared at the offending piece of plastic. She blinked a couple of times, but it was still there. The woman swallowed, she had known there was a high possibility this moment would come, she had simply hoped she had a few more years left. All of her children had been through a lot, she kind of hoped they would want to hold onto their innocence a little longer. She guessed she was no different from other mothers when it came to that.

The sound of small feet pounding down the stairs tore her out of her thoughts. When she looked up her youngest son was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey, honey." she put on a smile she could only hope was convincing enough.

"Can Mercedes and I have some ice cream?" the little boy asked.

"Have you finished your homework?"

"We're almost done." he gave a cute little pout.

"Well, go finish up and then I will get you your ice cream." she smiled.

The boy turned around and ran back upstairs, shouting for Mercedes to finish their homework. Emma laughed wondering when her silent child had turned into such a loud boy. Then she remembered the wrapper that was now hidden inside her own jeans and sighed.

When the mother entered her living room she could see her husband instructing his club on some dance routine. Her two oldest sons were giving their best, Finn concentrating so hard she feared he might bite his own tongue off. Noah offered her a smile and a wink and she smiled back before joining her daughters on the couch. The two girls seemed to be the judges, even though Santana seemed to only have eyes for Quinn. Artie was behind his camera again, documenting any progress.

Emma's mind was racing as she watched her sons. They were both so beautiful, bursting with energy. They were wonderful, happy and healthy boys and they looked no different from the last time she had watched them. She looked at Finn practicing his duet with Rachel, she knew the two of them had gotten pretty serious. She also knew the condom wrapper had fallen out of Noah's jeans. She looked at the boy. He had not brought a girl home in quite a while. She did not think he was seeing anyone.

Kurt was again the one to tear her out of her thoughts.

"We finished our homework." he beamed, holding up a notepad to prove his statement.

Emma got up and ran her fingers through his soft, chestnut hair.

"Well, come on then, sweetie. A promise is a promise."

It was late in the evening and the woman was lying in bed with her husband when the wrapper appeared again. She handed it to her man without saying a word.

Will stared at the piece of plastic, not comprehending what was going on.

"Uhm, honey. I am not quite sure what you're proposing here."

Emma rolled her eyes and huffed at her husband's weird sense of humour.

"I found this in the laundry today." she said.

She watched Will closely and could almost see his mind working, piecing things together.

"You mean…"

"It came out of Noah's jeans."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am sure, Will."

"I mean.. maybe he didn't use it. Maybe it came out of the wrapping in the machine." he knew this was a very unlikely theory, but his brain was not working properly.

"I check the pockets before I put the clothes in the machine." Emma replied.

"Oh. Maybe he just needed balloons? Wasn't there a birthday party he went to last week?"

"I think they are too old for balloons now, baby. Trust me I've been through all of this in my head already. I think our son lost his virginity."

"Well, at least he is protecting himself." the man tried to think positively.

"Yeah.. I guess so."

They both sighed.

"What do we do? Should we talk to him?"

"We already gave them the talk, honey."

"I know."

"Actually, we should start thinking about giving it to, Artie."

"He is only ten!"

"He has questions."

"And you want Finn and Puck sitting in on us answering them?"

"I don't know… maybe."

"We can't traumatize one child for the sake of another, love."

Emma sighed again.

"What should we do?" she asked. For a professional counsellor she felt incredibly helpless.

"How about you leave this one to me." Will offered.

"You would do that?" Emma asked.

"Yes, as long as you talk to the girls when you find the pill in their laundry."

"Oh God!" Emma groaned and hid her face in her pillow.

Will figured having a talk like this with your teenage son should be handled like removing a band aid, so he did it as soon as possible.

It was the next day at school and they were alone in the choir room, waiting for the other kids to show up. Will knew they had at least fifteen minutes left, Puck was the only one with a free period right before glee.

"Sit down, son. Let's have a talk." the man said.

"Am I in trouble?" Puck asked.

"No! Of course not! Why? Do you think you should be?"

"No…" the boy sounded unsure of himself.

"Doesn't sound very convincing. Is there something on your mind? Anything you would like to ask me?" the father looked concerned.

"Like what?"

"Like… something about girls.. Or maybe sex?"

"Dad!" the boy sounded embarrassed. "You gave me the talk ages ago."

"I know… I just thought it might have become a more current issue."

"What do you mean, dad? I am not having sex!"

"Don't lie to me, Noah!"

"I'm not lying!" the boy yelled.

"Your mother found a condom wrapper in your jeans!" Will hated raising his voice.

"You're going through my things?" Puck was furious.

"Your mom was just doing laundry."

"Well, it doesn't matter, cuz I'm not having sex!" the boy kicked the piano.

"Then explain the condom to me, son!" Will was angry.

"We used them as balloons, okay?" the boy almost sobbed.

"Are you honestly expecting me to believe that?" the dad shook his head.

"Yes! We made pee balloons, okay. We filled the condoms with pee and threw them at some nerd outside of school!"

Will could not believe what he was hearing. He could tell his son was telling the truth, but he still just did not want to believe it.

"You did what? Noah! How could you?"

"Most of the guys on the team were doing it, dad. Do you even know how rough it is for us gleeks on the football team?"

"That doesn't make it okay, Puck! Have you even thought about the poor kid? Don't you remember what it feels like to be treated like a freak? That could have been you! It could have been one of your siblings! Do you remember how we all felt when Artie and Kurt were bullied at their school?"

Will could not believe what he was hearing and he was yelling in a rage.

"I'm sorry, okay? What do you want me to do?" the boy screamed back.

"You don't have to say anything. You're grounded!"

"You can't do that! It is Quinn's birthday next Friday!"

"I'm your father I can do whatever the fuck I want!" Will felt like he was about to burst a vein.

Puck just stared at him and then he laughed.

"Funny, that's exactly what my biological dad used to say." he huffed before he stormed out the door.

Will regretted his words, he hated yelling at his son, but before he could run after him the other kids began trickling in and he had to start class. Since Noah was not there Rachel immediately began voicing new ideas on how to change the choreography.

When the teacher arrived at home his wife was in the kitchen. He briefly filled her in on what had happened. He could tell she was relieved it had not been about sex, but they both knew his argument with the boy had been bad. Emma hugged her husband close trying to share some strength.

"He is in his room." she whispered.

Will sighed and began to climb the stairs. He expected to find the door locked and loud music blasting from the room. Instead the door was open and his son was sitting on his bed with his little brother, trying to teach him a song on the guitar.

"Kurt, buddy.. Would you mind leaving me and your brother alone for a bit?" Will asked.

The little boy hugged his brother and jumped off the bed.

"I'm gonna go show Sam what I learned." he told the father.

"You do that." Will smiled.

When the little boy had left he faced his older son, unsure of what to say.

"I'm so sorry, dad." Noah began to cry.

"I'm sorry, too." Will hugged his son close and allowed himself to shed a few tears as well.

They cried for a good fifteen minutes before they were able to calm down.

"Am I still grounded?" Puck asked.

"You can go to the party, but there are some conditions." the father said. "This will be the only party until after sectionals. You will help your mother, siblings and me with the Christmas decorations. You will shovel snow until after Christmas without complaining."

Noah groaned.

"There's more." Will continued. "You will apologise to that poor boy. And - I am not going to ask you - but if Finn was there with you, I expect you to take him along for this as well. Do we have a deal?"

Puck could only nod.

When Will went to bed that night he was beyond tired. This had definitely been one of his hardest days as a father. He sighed as Emma was running her fingers through his hair.

"I hated yelling at him. When he compared me to his father I felt sick to my stomach." he said.

"I know, honey." she said cuddling up close.

They fell asleep both wondering how long they had until their children would not be thinking about balloons when they saw a condom. The knew it would probably not be long.

The next morning the parents were woken up by a very excited eight year old.

"It's snowing! It's snowing!" Kurt was shouting. "Can we build a snowman? Can we go sledding?"

The excited child was bouncing on their bed until Emma managed to pull him into her arms, laughing at his innocent happiness.

"You have to go to school first, sweetie."

Will got out of bed wanting to check just how bad the weather really was. It had stopped snowing but there was a good couple of inches covering the ground. When he turned to look at their driveway he could see his two oldest sons shovelling snow.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are so sweet!<em>

_Sorry, for the lack of Kurt in this short chapter, thought I'd use some of the older kids while they are around and there is only so much I can put an eight year old through, I think Kurt deserved a break._

_I am also thinking about skipping a few years after Kurt completes his first year in the Schuester family. There is definately going to be a chapter about him at age 10 and one more at 12, but then I might move on to his high school years. People keep asking for Blaine, so what do you think about speeding things up a little?_

_Someone also suggested to have Kurt go straight to Dalton. I was actually gonna have Blaine at McKinley, but what are your opinions?_

_Hope everyone had a nice weekend!_


	20. Chapter 20: Sectionals

It was the day before Sectionals and the atmosphere in the Schuester household was buzzing. The older kids and their friends were nervous and hyper about performing in front of a large crowd and their siblings were soon just as excited, even though they were not competing.

"God, we've seen you perform this song about a million times now! You're great! Now sit down." Santana groaned. They had just been forced to watch Rachel and Finn's duet for the tenth time in a row.

"Even I could do it perfectly by now." Brittany added while braiding her sister's hair.

They had formed a cute little chain out of boredom and Rachel not allowing them to leave the room. Sam was braiding his twin's hair, while she worked on their sister, Santana was braiding Mercedes' curls and the little girl busied herself putting as many ribbons as possible in her best friend's locks. Kurt and the girl tried to have sleepovers whenever possible, they were absolutely inseparable. Will and Emma loved the fact their youngest son had found such a good friend, but they felt uneasy whenever he stayed over at the Jones' house. He did not have nightmares all that often anymore, but when he had them they were pretty intense. Often even the parents were not able to calm the child down, the only people he would allow close to him at those times were Puck and Santana.

Right now Kurt was a pretty happy boy. He was the only child not bored by the repetitive performances, sitting on the floor clapping or mouthing the words. When Rachel practiced her solo he seemed to be almost close to tears.

Artie, who was again filming the group begged for a break because his fingers were cramping and Rachel finally showed some mercy. Everyone plopped down on the couches, munching away on the snacks Emma had provided.

"I don't think I can eat. I'm so nervous, I don't feel hungry at all." Finn said in a disbelieving tone.

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"You're not getting sick, are you?" Rachel was close to panicking, but quickly calmed down. "I mean, as long as you can still sway in the background I might be able to sing it as a solo."

"Hey, what about me" Puck was offended.

"Don't get me wrong, Noah, but as much as I appreciate your bad boy stage presence, I don't think it would be suitable for the song." Rachel replied.

"Let Quinn sing." Santana piped up.

It was Quinn's birthday today but she had postponed the party until after the competition.

"We can't have two girls sing a duet." said Puck.

"And why is that?" Santana glared.

The boy knew better than to anger his sister so he just put his hands up.

"Guys, I'm not sick. I'm just nervous." Finn muttered.

The door bell rang and Will went to get it.

"Mike, your mom is here to pick you up." the father said.

"Oh, okay. Do you want to ride with us, Tina?"

"Y-Y-Yes. T-T-T-Thanks." the girl stuttered.

"Good luck tomorrow." they both waved and left the house.

"Great, there goes our best choreographer." Quinn sighed.

"Hey!" Will hated the criticism, but knew the girl was right. He could not wait for the asian kid to be old enough to join his club.

Most of the other gleeks excused themselves shortly after. Finally only the Schuester kids, Rachel, Quinn, Matt and Mercedes were left.

"Kurt, honey. I think it is time for you and Mercedes to go up to bed." Emma said.

"Can't we stay a little longer? Just a few minutes? Please!" both kids confronted the ginger woman with the most adorable pouts. Emma sighed.

"I will take them up in a bit, mom." Sam offered. The teen was sleeping on the couch so the little ones could have their sleepover. He was a selfless brother.

"Okay, but only ten more minutes, okay?" Emma went upstairs to watch some television with her husband, who was just as nervous as the teens. He could use some cuddles.

Twenty minutes later Kurt and Mercedes were fast asleep cuddled up together on one couch, while Artie was sleeping on the other. The older kids were talking about the competition and school.

"Ugh. It is snowing again." Finn groaned looking out of the window.

"Leave it until morning." Puck said. "Doesn't look like it is going to let up soon anyways."

"Why are you guys suddenly so keen on shovelling snow anyways?" Santana asked. "Dad always had to force you to do it before."

The boys looked at each other and coughed, unable to hide a blush.

"Oh my God! He's blackmailing you!" Sam whispered as loud as he could, not wanting to wake up the younger kids.

"It's not blackmail. It is kind of a punishment." Finn supplied.

"What did you do?" Quinn asked.

The brothers exchanged a glance, then nodded, agreeing to share their shame with their friends.

"Last week the football team wanted to prove a point. They told us to attack one of the nerds or the glee dudes would have to face the wrath of the team."

Everyone looked at Matt who nodded, confirming the boys' story.

"They told us to throw pee balloons at this nerd from chess club." Puck continued the story.

Brittany gasped, this sounded unbelievably gross.

"And you did that?" Rachel's voice sounded shrill and everyone looked to make sure Artie, Kurt and Mercedes were still sleeping.

The boys could only nod, to oembarrassed to speak.

"Wait." Quinn said. "If you did that, why didn't we hear about it? This should have been the talk of the school!"

Rachel considered this for a moment, before nodding in agreement. The boys began to blush under their friends' and sibling's gazes.

"Tell us!" Santana was getting impatient.

"I did not quite work as planned." Matt whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, what do you know about condoms?"

None of the girls or Sam knew anything so they just shrugged and waited for the boys to continue.

"They really don't break that easily!" Finn said.

"You mean they stayed whole?" Quinn wondered what that meant.

"We threw them and they just kind of bounced off." Puck blushed even more.

The other kids just stared at each other for a second before breaking into deafening, hysterical laughter.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Santana was holding her aching sides.

After a few seconds Puck, Finn and Matt could not help but laugh along.

"What's going on here" Will appeared in the doorway.

"Nothing, dad.! "Nothing, Mr. Schuester!" the kids' voices echoed.

Will looked at Artie, Kurt and Mercedes, who were sitting up on their couches, rubbing their sleepy eyes and looking confused.

"Okay, time for bed! Finn, walk Rachel home, please. Quinn, if your parents are okay with it you can sleep in Brittany and Santana's room."

Sam helped Artie to his room, Quinn got the phone to call home, Finn helped Rachel into her coat and the rest of the kids began climbing the stairs.

"Back in five!" Will reminded his oldest son as he moved to leave the house.

"Yes, dad." the boy said a lot more cheerfully than expected.

Will looked out the window and sighed. They would have to leave early to make it to the sectionals venue in time.

* * *

><p>Emma was busy cleaning up the kitchen and dining room after breakfast. Will and the older children had left an hour ago to meet with the other gleeks at school and get their bus. Sam and Artie were playing video games in the younger boy's room and the girls were upstairs fussing over their outfits for the competition. Somehow nothing looked good with moon boots.<p>

"Are we leaving soon?" Kurt and Mercedes were standing behind her.

The two little divas in training were just as excited about the competition as the actual performers. They had chosen their outfits days before and were already dressed and ready to go.

"We still got some time, sweeties. Why don't you go and play a little?"

"We already played every game there is." they pouted.

"Watch some television?" Emma suggested.

"There's nothing on." they whined in unison.

Emma smiled at them. Then she had an idea.

"I know! Why don't you write your letter's to Santa Clause?" she beamed.

Mercedes cheered and clapped her hands before running to the living room to find a pen and paper. Kurt stayed where he was, but lowered his gaze to the floor.

"What's wrong, honey?" Emma asked. "Don't you have anything to ask Santa for?"

When the little boy looked up at her tears were shining in his eyes.

"I don't think Santa is gonna visit me." he whispered.

"Oh, baby!" Emma pulled him into her arms. "Of course Santa is gonna visit. What makes you think he wouldn't?"

"He.. He doesn't have my new address."

"Kurtie, Santa knows where you live." she wanted to tell him not to worry, but she felt this wasn't really what was bothering the child. Tears were running down his face now.

"My mommy and daddy always sent him my letters and told him when to visit and baked the cookies." he cried.

"Sweetie, Will and I have Santa's address, we will send your letter together with your siblings'. Santa knows the best time to visit our chimney and I promise to bake the best cookies. You can help me if you want to." she hoped to calm down the sobbing child but nothing helped.

By now Mercedes and her daughters had joined them in the kitchen and looked concerned. Emma rocked the boy in her arms.

"Tell me what's wrong, baby. Allow us to help you." the mother begged.

"I wasn't a good boy this year." he sobbed.

"Sweetie, why would you think that. You are a good boy. You help me so much. You help your siblings. Look how happy Mercedes is to have you."

The little girl gave him a huge smile, but he just clung to the ginger woman's blouse.

"I failed my daddy." the small child finally admitted. He sobbed so loud it made Artie and Sam abandon their game.

"Oh baby! Don't think that! Your daddy was ill, just like your mommy. There was nothing you could've done."

"I failed him." Kurt hiccoughed.

"No, Kurt. Don't ever feel that way. You didn't fail anyone. Your parents loved you. They were so proud of you. They were ill, nobody was able to help them. All those grown ups and doctors around you couldn't."

Emma could feel the tears spill from her own eyes and when she looked up she could see all of the other kids were crying as well. She knew she would not be able to reach Dr. Davies or even Will now, she had to deal with this on her own.

Santana knelt down next to them. Hugging both her brother and her mother.

"It wasn't your fault." she said.

"We all love you, Kurtie. We know you're not to blame:" Brittany added, joining the hug.

"I love you." Mercedes whispered and kissed her friend's cheek.

"There was nothing you could do." Artie croaked through tears.

"We love you." Sam added as he stroked his brother's hair.

The little boy sobbed in their arms and was soon too exhausted to even cry anymore.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Emma asked.

He nodded and sighed. Emma made a mental note to call Dr. Davies on Monday morning,

"Girls, why don't you help Kurt clean up. Boys, go get dressed. We are leaving soon."

* * *

><p>By the time they arrived at the venue for Sectionals all children were back to their excited, bubbly selves. Sam was racing down the halls with Artie's wheelchair, making his younger brother scream. The girls could not wait to see their brothers and friends perform and Kurt and Mercedes were bouncing on the balls of their feet, planning their future careers.<p>

The found their seats just as the show was getting started. The first two groups were really good, but they had seen the New Directions so many times, they were not worried at all. Soon it was time for the performance. While the older kids held their breaths, Emma was busy trying to keep Kurt and Mercedes from standing on their seats. When Rachel entered the room from the back, launching into a brilliant rendition of Don't Rain On My Parade, the little boy squealed so loud, several people turned their heads. Finn and Rachel's duet was absolutely flawless and Puck managed to wink at his family more than once.

They visited the club in the green room, telling them how wonderful their performance was. The two youngest children were so excited they could not stop gushing about every detail.

The parents just smiled at each other. Emma allowed herself to be pulled into a tight hug and took a deep breath.

"Everything okay?" Will whispered.

The woman did not want to ruin this moment for her husband so she just nodded. She would tell him about the little crisis at home later. She knew it would just get him to make Christmas extra special. She pulled out of the hug and passed out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to the children, most of them were far too nervous to eat though.

They had to leave the green room soon, as the judges had made their decision. The glee club returned to stage. The rest of the family went back to their seats. Emma pulled both her youngest son and his best friend onto her lap, trying to keep them from climbing their own seats and angering the pensioners behind them.

When New Directions were announced the winners, there was no holding any of the children back. They all stormed the stage and Emma quickly followed throwing herself into her husbands arms. They all laughed when they saw the trophy. That thing was huge! Will put it down on the floor and it was still taller than Kurt or Mercedes.

"What does the trophy for Nationals look like?" Brittany wondered.

"Who cares? Let's celebrate!"


	21. Chapter 21: Christmas Shopping

Will Schuester was a very happy man. He had a beautiful wife, seven (!) wonderful children and a job he truly loved. His glee club had just won Sectionals, earning them a trophy bigger than any he had seen in Sue Sylvester's office. All the hard work had definitely been worth it, if only for the look on his rival's face. Of course she had proceeded to tell him that the really important prizes never were bigger than an Academy Award, but he had not cared. He had endured twenty minutes of increasingly creative hair jokes with a big smile on his face. Yes, Will Schuester was very happy.

On a Friday afternoon in December Will was standing at his living room window, watching his sons and daughters in a snowball fight, that looked so much fun he was itching to join. His wife had however asked him to stay inside so they could have a serious talk about Christmas preparations. He had already gotten all the decorations from the attic and the garage and made the boys promise to help him with the lights. They would not buy the tree for another week, so the talk could only be about presents. Lots of presents, for lots of children, presents he had to pay for with a small teacher's salary. Will winced.

"Come sit down, honey." his wife interrupted his thoughts.

"Sorry, love." he said as he joined her.

"Okay, before you start worrying too much I would like to tell you that my mother has been very generous this year."

Emma handed Will a cheque that made him gasp.

"Oh wow. I surely wasn't expecting that."

"Me neither. Maybe she is feeling guilty about the things she said at Thanksgiving. I also think she really liked Kurt."

Will nodded. The little boy was impossible not to like. He looked out the window again watching him play with his older siblings. He was laughing as he was jumping behind Sam to avoid being hit by a snowball Finn had aimed at him. They had been worried about the guilt that was still plaguing the child, but Dr. Davies had assured them it was quite normal and something the boy had to work through himself. She also said he was making great progress.

"We will have to think about presents for the kids. I got all their lists, but some of these things will be hard to come by."

"What does Brittany want?"

"Magic carpet and skates."

"I'm pretty sure we can afford the skates now."

"Yes, there's also one more thing." Emma sighed. "I really want to make Christmas special this year. It is Kurt's first Christmas with us and it might be the last where he actually believes in Santa Clause."

"We've been thinking that about Brittany for years."

"I know and I am sure the day will come sooner than we want it to. Remember how Artie found out last year?"

"Yes, poor kid. I promise I won't drink a single mug of eggnog this year and I won't kiss you while I'm in costume."

"Maybe we should have someone else be Santa this year." Emma pondered.

"Who? Puck? Can't trust Santa not to swear then."

"No.."

"Finn? He'd probably open all the presents by himself!"

"No.. I thought maybe we should ask someone outside the family, someone Kurt won't recognise that easily and that way you won't be missing in the pictures."

Emma cuddled up to her husband while they were both deep in thought.

"Well, we can't ask Sue unless we want all our kids to be told they don't deserve presents."

"The Berry men can't do it either, they are taking Rachel to one of her grandmothers."

"How about Shannon? She is tall and she has a deep voice, Kurt doesn't know her all that well and she loves Brittany."

"Oh my God! That's perfect! Do you think she would do it?"

"I'll ask her later." Will said and kissed his wife.

They got up after a few minutes, wondering why the kids had become so quiet, as they looked outside they could tell the snowball fight had ended, instead the kids were working together on building a giant snowman. The parents smiled. They had a wonderful family.

* * *

><p>It was a week before Christmas and the family went to the mall together, eager to get presents for their friends. Finn wanted to get something really special for Rachel, while Puck and Santana were both looking for the perfect gift to get Quinn, they had already used up their best ideas for her birthday presents. Santana had won that little competition with a beautiful charm bracelet that matched the girl's cross necklace.<p>

While the twins simply settled on buying DVDs', Artie was looking for a nice hat for Tina. Kurt was the most stressed out of them all, insisting his present for Mercedes had to be absolutely perfect.

After two hours the parents could tell the older boys needed a break from shopping, while Kurt and the girls were still marvelling at the beautifully decorated shop windows.

"How about the boys help me carry our bags to the car and I reward them with an hour in the arcade, while you accompany these three." Will offered watching Santana, Brittany and Kurt squeal over a particularly creative display.

"That's a great idea." Emma said, watching her poor older sons looking miserable.

When Will told the boys about the new plan it was like someone had just magically recharged their energy. Emma could not help but laugh, watching her sons run off.

An hour later Emma and the three remaining children were again carrying lots of bags, when they ran into Brenda Castle. The teacher wanted to tell Emma about her latest stint in rehab and the ginger woman did not want to appear rude, so she listened and smiled politely.

"Mom." Santana interrupted. " Is it okay if we go in there while you talk?"

The girl pointed to a Claire's store only a couple of feet away.

"Sure, kids." the woman smiled. "I'll come get you in a few minutes, okay. It is almost time to go meet your dad and brothers."

The girls agreed and left smiling, keeping their little brother in between them, each holding onto one of his hands.

Once inside the store they let go of each other's hands to check out the items on display. Brittany soon found herself trying on hat after hat, wondering if she should get one so Artie could give it to Tina. She knew he had not found one he liked enough yet. Santana was checking out the giant hoop earrings, they would look perfect with a cheerio uniform, she was certain to obtain in just a few years.

Kurt found himself in a whole new dilemma. He had found the perfect gift for his best friend, a silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of a beautiful "M", but right as he was about to make his way to the cash register he came across this really cool belt that had a buckle in the shape of a pink boom box. He had insisted on Will and Emma not helping him pay for Mercedes' present, and now he did not have enough money to afford both. He tried to look for his sisters but could not find them because he was too short to look over the top of the shelves.

"Hey, sweetie. Can I help you with something?"

Kurt turned to look at the person that had addressed him. It was a beautiful woman with long blonde hair. She smiled at him kindly. He still did not feel comfortable talking to strangers and even though this lady looked really friendly he only managed to shake his head.

"You are one of the Schuester kids, aren't you?" the lady smiled.

Kurt could only nod, wondering how the woman knew that.

"I am a really good friend of your father's." the woman supplied. "I saw him just a few minutes ago. Would you like me to take you to him?"

Kurt turned around looking for Santana and Brittany, but he could not see the girls.

"Your sister's left a few minutes ago." the blonde said.

Kurt swallowed. He could not believe the girls would leave him behind like that.

"Come on. I will take you to your daddy." the woman offered him her hand.

The little boy chewed his bottom lip and thought about how he had been warned not to go with a stranger. In those warnings the strangers had always been men though, old men in dark clothes who would offer him candy or ask him if he wanted to see a puppy. This was a beautiful woman and she knew Will and offered to take Kurt to him. He hesitated for a moment before taking her hand and allowing her to lead him away.

* * *

><p>When Emma entered Claire's she found her daughters at the cash register. Brittany was currently paying for a striped hat she said she was going to give Artie, because it would be perfect for Tina. Emma smiled at the girl's generosity. Santana had already paid, but refused to let her mother see her purchases. The ginger woman could only guess that her own Christmas present was inside the bag.<p>

Oh joy! What forty year old woman did not dream of a present from Claire's?

Looking around Emma noticed something, or rather someone was missing.

"Where's your little brother?" the woman asked.

The girls looked around, beginning to panic. They moved around the store calling for their brother.

"I swear he was right here, mom!"

"Yes, he was looking at necklaces when I last saw him."

Emma could feel the fear rise up inside her. Oh please, not again. They would have to equip this boy with his own GPS tracking system.

"Excuse me." Emma turned to the cashier. "Have you seen a little boy with chestnut hair and blue eyes? He is carrying a pink power ranger action figure and he is about this tall."

Emma made a gesture to show the woman how tall or rather short Kurt was.

"Oh yes. I saw a little boy with a power ranger. He left with his mother about five minutes ago."

"His mother? I am his mother!" Emma shrieked.

"Oh sorry, I just mean I saw him leave holding this lady's hand." the shop girl seemed annoyed.

Emma couldn't breathe, this had to be a misunderstanding. The shy little boy would have never left with a stranger. She reached for her mobile phone and called Will.

Will Schuester was on his way to the mall's food court, trying to keep out of the crossfire, while his sons were very busy throwing pieces of pretzels at each other.

"Guys, stop. You know your mom hates it when you waste food."

His phone rang at that moment and he answered, expecting his wife to either tell him to hurry up or probably more likely that she and the other kids would be a little late because they forgot time whilst shopping. All he could hear though was his wife sobbing hysterically, he could not make out a single word except for Claire's, the shop she was apparently at. He must have looked really worried, because his sons immediately stopped fighting and stood around him making concerned faces.

"Something happened. We need to get to a shop called Claire's. Sam, can you check that map and see where we need to go?" the father said.

"No need, dad. I know where it is." Puck supplied.

They all looked at the boy like he had lost his mind, but he just shrugged and showed them the way.

When they arrived at the shop just a few minutes later they found a hysterical Emma, two crying girls and a clearly overtaxed shop girl.

"Honey, what's wrong?" he asked wrapping both arms around his wife, while his sons took care of their sisters.

"Someone took Kurt." the woman sobbed.

"What do you mean someone took him?" Will looked from his wife to his daughters. He could feel his stomach revolt.

"He was in this store with the girls, and then he was gone and I asked the clerk and she said she saw him leave holding a woman's hand." Emma cried.

"Are you sure it was him? Maybe it was another boy and Kurt just wondered off." Will bit his tongue before he could say that it had happened before.

"She said he was holding the pink ranger. How many little boys do you know that walk around carrying a pink power ranger?"

Will did not reply because at that moment mall security arrived. The kind and very patient man listened to both Emma and the girls as well as the cashier who had seen the boy leave. The man spoke Kurt's description into his walkie-talkie. He assured the family that all his colleagues would be on the lookout for the little boy. In the mean time he asked them to accompany him to his office so they could look at some video footage. Maybe the security cameras would help them find the child. The parents calmed a little at being taken so seriously and followed the man with their six children.

* * *

><p>"Wow this lady sure talks a lot." was what Kurt was thinking at that moment. He had allowed her to take him to the food court, because she had promised they would find Will there, but the father was nowhere to be seen. The woman had proceeded to buy him a huge milkshake and kept asking him questions about his parents and their marriage.<p>

While Kurt was not ready yet to call Emma and Will mom and dad, he had no problem referring to them as his parents now. He could tell people that his parents wanted him to be home before dark or that his parents loved the cake Mrs. Jones had sent them. He could also very happily call the Schuesters his family now, and right now he longed for that family and missed them a whole lot. He just did not know what to do. How could he find them again? They could not have forgotten him, could they?

* * *

><p>The family was currently squeezed into a very tiny office, trying to view the security camera footage on an even smaller screen.<p>

"There he is! That's our son!" Emma finally screamed.

"But who's with him?" Finn asked.

"Oh my God! I think that's Terri." Will moved closer to the screen. "Yes, that's her!"

"You mean Terri as in your ex-wife? Terrible Terri?" Emma was feeling sick.

The security officer was speaking into his walkie-talkie again, while trying to see where the two figures on the screen where headed to.

"Looks like they went to the food court." he said.

The whole family took off running before he could say anything else.

* * *

><p>"I think your daddy isn't coming, honey." Terri told Kurt. "Why don't we go to my car and I will drive you home."<p>

The little boy hesitated. He was not supposed to get into a stranger's car, he knew that for sure. And he was not so sure this woman was telling him the truth anymore. Maybe she did not know his parents at all. He was beginning to feel really scared and could feel the tears well up in his eyes. He wanted nothing more than for his family to come and find him.

"Come on then." the woman said holding out her hand.

The boy shook his head, he was not going to go with this woman he did not trust.

"Don't be silly. Take my hand." she said.

"No!" the boy wrapped his arms across his chest and shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous." she said as she moved to grab him.

"No! No! No! I'm not going with you.!" the boy yelled before kicking the woman's shins as hard as he could.

Terri fumed with anger, how dare this child kick her like that! She raised her hand to slap him, but before she could bring it down she was stopped by someone grabbing her arm.

"Don't you dare!" Will hissed.

"William." she breathed.

Emma and the kids were busy hugging Kurt, making sure he was unharmed. The boy seemed a bit shell-shocked, but okay.

"Madam, would you care to explain what you were doing with this child?" the officer asked.

"He was lost. I was simply trying to help. I was going to take him home."

Everyone turned to look at the little boy who could only shake his head.

"I am sorry, but I don't think there is enough evidence to press charges. Would you like to try anyways?" the officer asked Will.

"I just want her to stay away from my family."

"Will, please.. You can't mean that." Terri reached to hug the man but was stopped by Emma who grabbed her arm and swung her around.

"Don't you ever dare touch my husband or children again!" the ginger woman screamed before landing a punch right to the blonde's eye.

Terri dropped to her ass rather ungracefully, clutching an eye that would surely be a real shiner by the next morning.

"You.. You… I… I'm…" the woman stuttered.

"Lady, I think you should just go home." the officer told her as he helped her up. She could do nothing but watch the family leave. Will was carrying the little boy, who was holding on tightly.

"Wow, mom!"

"What a punch!"

"Can you teach us?"

"Didn't know you had it in you."

The older kids were beyond excited, mimicking their mother's action scene over and over again. Until they reached the exit to their car park.

"NOOO! WAIT!" Kurt screamed.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" everyone looked at the boy, concern written all over their faces.

"I still need to buy Mercedes' present!"


	22. Chapter 22: A Christmas Carol

Emma squeezed her youngest son's small hand in hers like she had been doing every few minutes since they had left the house. Every time she squeezed the child would look up to her and send her a warm smile. This were just small gestures of reassurance, but they both really seemed to need them. This was the first time the family went anywhere but school or a friend's house since the boy had been led away by Terri in the mall. Emma still had nightmares about that day. Never before had she come this close to losing one of her children. They had managed to get a restraining order, Terri was not allowed to get closer than thirty feet to any member of the family, their house or any of the children's schools. But whenever the ginger woman thought about it thirty feet really did not seem like a lot. The obsessive compulsive person still hidden deep inside her wanted to lock herself in with her family and never allow any of them to ever leave the house again, but that was not possible. So instead the woman held on to her youngest and squeezed his hand every few minutes to assure both of them they were still connected. She also kept a close eye on her older children who were happily skipping along the pavement right in front of her.

Will watched his wife watch over their children, he knew that if anybody were to approach one of the kids right now the woman would be ready to strike. He tried thinking of ways to help her relax and could only hope that Christmas would work its magic. They finally arrived at their destination.

"Okay kids, let's have look around. You can all vote for the one tree you like the most and then we will all choose the best one together."

The kids immediately took off and disappeared between the rows of trees, Will could hear Emma whimper.

"Relax, honey. They will be fine." the man hugged her close.

They followed their children and listened to each one give reasons why their tree was absolutely perfect. Finn of course wanted a really tall tree, Puck and Sam wanted a wide one, they could fit lots of presents underneath, Santana did not care, Brittany was looking for a tree where a family of elves lived in because they helped Santa with the presents and Artie swore he could pick the best one by smelling them.

"Which one do you like, sweetie?" Emma asked Kurt.

The boy pointed to a tall and bushy tree.

"That one has lots of branches so we can put lots of decorations on it." he beamed.

All of his siblings liked his choice, Brittany was even convinced that she had seen an elf peek out from behind a branch.

The salesman congratulated the family on their choice and helped them tie the tree to the roof of Will's car. When they arrived back home they were not quite sure how the man had done it, because even with Will, Finn, Puck and Sam carrying the thing, they still struggled for almost half an hour before they finally got it into their house. When it finally found its place in the living room they could not help but admire it. It really was a beautiful tree.

As it had gotten really cold and was snowing again Emma hurried to fix hot chocolate for her family. They all sat down around the tree and drank and exchanged their favourite Christmas memories. Kurt could only listen and wonder at all the hilarious situations his siblings had found themselves in. His last Christmas had been a rather sad affair, his mommy was already in a coma in the hospital and his daddy had simply been helpless and stricken with grief. He had not even bought a tree that year and he had managed to burn every cup of hot chocolate he tried to make, except for the few that had still been cold, Kurt had not told him about that though. In the end they had exchanged their presents at the foot of his mother's hospital bed. There had been no joy or laughter.

This year he was surrounded by smiling faces and as if she had sensed his sad thoughts Santana hugged her little brother close.

After they had finished their drinks and felt refreshed and full of energy, Will put in a Christmas cd and they all started decorating together as they sang along to the songs. They could not help but laugh when they started with the first lines to the Island of Misfit Toys.

Early in the next morning the family was woken up by a sneeze that was so loud it almost made the whole house shake.

"Oh no!" Sam groaned as he covered his face with his pillow.

"What's happening?" Kurt asked.

"Finn's sick." came the reply.

"Oh. That sucks."

"You don't know half of it. Finn is a lousy patient. He demands all off mom's time and is just really whiny and irritating. Plus, last time he got ill he gave it to all of us."

Kurt really did not want to be ill for Christmas so he tried to think of ways to avoid his oldest brother for the next few days, but apparently there was no need: Emma opened the door to the boys' bedroom at that exact moment.

"Hey, sweeties. I'm sorry, but as you can probably hear Finn is ill."

"He wouldn't let me sleep all night." Puck yawned, appearing behind his mother in the doorway.

"Kurt, honey. Is it okay if we give Puck your bed for a few days? You can sleep in Santana's bed, as she shares with Brittany anyways."

"Okay" the little boy said already half on his way to his sisters' room.

"You know those three are gonna destroy all your pillows, right mom?" Sam grinned before Emma turned on her heels and chased after her youngest son.

It appeared that Sam had been right describing his older brother as a bad patient. They could hear the boy cough, sneeze, whine and moan all though the house and their mother had barely a minute to spare. They finished decorating the inside of the house on their own, while Will and Puck put up the last lights on the outside. It looked perfect.

Early during the morning just two days later the doorbell rang. Now who could be visiting at such an early hour just a day before Christmas? Will went to open the door.

"Oh hello, Rachel. I'm really sorry, but Finn is still too ill to have visitors. Emma put him in quarantine."

"Hello Mr. Schuester. I know about that, Finn phones me about once every hour to keep me updated. I've come for another reason."

Will led the girl into the living room where all the other children were lounging about watching cartoons.

"How can we help you, Rachel?" the father asked.

"Well, as you know this is the last day before me and my dads are leaving to stay with my grandmother and my dads were taking me and Finn to go see a show today. And it is obvious Finn won't be able to join us."

"Oh." horror appeared on the older kids' faces. "And now you want one of us to come?"

"Yes. I know none of you older ones are into that kind of thing, even Finn only agreed to go cause I begged him to and he would've hated it for sure. But I was wondering if maybe Kurt would like to go."

"Me?" the little boy squeaked.

"Yes. I have the feeling you and me are kindred spirits, especially when it comes to the appreciation of performing arts." Rachel crouched down in front of the much smaller boy. "So would you be my date?"

The boy looked up to Will, wondering what he should say.

"It is a matinee show." Rachel told the father. "A musical version of A Christmas Carol. So you don't have to worry about it being age appropriate or him being home too late."

Kurt marvelled at the big words the girl used. He vowed to be able to speak like that when he was her age.

"It is fine by me." Will said. "If Kurt wants to go."

"Yes!" the little boy couldn't help but jump up and down. He was so excited.

All of the older children smiled at their little brother.

"Okay, then I will be back to pick you up after lunch, okay?" Rachel asked.

"Yes." the little boy nodded eagerly.

The very second the older girl had left the house Kurt ran to his room.

"Hey buddy, what's the emergency? She said you got a few hours." Will said.

"But I need to plan my outfit!" the boy replied, putting his hands on his hips.

"Don't get in the way of fashion, dad." Brittany said with a tone that made the father think Kurt had taught her that phrase himself.

Emma was not happy about her baby boy leaving the house without her or even any other member of their family. All through lunch she just sat there looking at him, thinking of different horror scenarios in her head. There could be a car crash or the roof of the theatre might collapse under the weight of all the snow. With all those Christmas lights a fire was a pretty likely possibility. Or maybe one of the people in the theatre had a very rare but highly contagious disease and would give it to all of the other people in the audience. And what if someone tried to take the child again? Did the Berry men know any martial arts? Would they even be watching the little boy when Rachel was so obviously high maintenance? Every time she opened her mouth to voice her concerns Will would squeeze her knee ever so lightly, then she would look at her young son, his cheeks flushed with excitement, eyes huge and sparkling, and she simply closed her mouth again, trying to be happy for the boy.

The Berry family came to pick up Kurt shortly after lunch. While Rachel complimented the boy on his outfit and Kurt tried to find something not entirely offensive to say about her reindeer cardigan, Emma drilled the Berry men. The fathers felt like complete amateurs and not like they had already been raising a child for over fourteen years. Will stood behind his wife, silently begging his neighbours to simply humour the woman. Finally the small group climbed into the car and drove to the old community theatre in one of the neighbouring towns.

Even though it was not a fancy place Kurt could not help but take everything in with wondering eyes. Rachel enjoyed being the more experienced one and took to explaining every tiny detail around them to the younger boy. She was happy when she realised she had finally found someone who did not mind her trying to educate him.

When the lights went out and the curtain was raised both children held their breaths in excitement. Kurt loved the play, their wonderful seats, the actors and especially the songs. But there was one thing that made this day even more exciting: the little boy who played Tiny Tim. The boy had dark curly hair and Kurt could have sworn it was the same boy who had given him the rose at Kings Island. But that could not be, right? Nevertheless, every time the boy appeared on stage Kurt's heart started beating just a little faster. When the show ended the little boy was the first one on his feet for the standing ovation, he clapped so hard his hands were hurting and his heart skipped a beat when the boy on stage winked at him.

On the ride home Kurt and Rachel kept singing the songs from the musical and the Berry men could not help but smile at the children's joy. Emma had the door open before the car came to a halt and Kurt was just happy to have eight new people to tell about his day. He said goodbye to Rachel and her fathers and waved, they would not see each other until New Year's Eve. Once inside his home he could not stop gushing about the show and how he wanted to be an actor and dance and sing on a stage that big one day. The family listened to his stories until it was time for bed.

Kurt woke up several times during that night. Each time Brittany had thought she had heard Santa Clause and Santana was busy telling her that it was not time yet. When it was finally morning and they were allowed to go downstairs Brittany was fast asleep and snoring. It took quite some time to wake her up, but once she realised it was finally Christmas she could not stop jumping up and down.

The whole family met in the living room. Even Finn was there, though he still looked a little green and his brother's kept teasing him and calling him the Grinch. All of the kids kept eying the presents under the tree but Emma would not let them open them yet.

"Just a few more minutes. Your dad is just getting some of our guests."

Five minutes later Will entered the living room with three more people. The first two were Sue Sylvester and her sister Jean. The cheerleading coach might not be very close to the family anymore, but they had not wanted her to spend Christmas alone, especially for Jean's sake. The older woman was lovely and the kids all adored her. Behind them followed Shannon Beiste in her red and white costume.

"SANTA!" Brittany let go of Jean, who she had been hugging and jumped into Santa's arms, almost sending both of them to the floor.

Will and Emma exchanged a warm smile while Santa went on to hug Kurt. Then the children were finally allowed to open their presents. Cheers and laughter filled the room. It was a wonderful atmosphere. While most of the kids just tore off the wrapping to get to their presents as quickly as possible, Kurt unwrapped his gifts very carefully and then went to his new parents to show them what he had gotten. It was really cute. Brittany just kept hugging and thanking Santa.

When all presents were unwrapped and the children were marvelling at their new belongings Emma went to make some waffles for all of them. She was wearing the earrings Santana had bought her, the brooch Kurt had picked out and the cardigan Will had given to her. When she returned with the waffles, the older boys were again entranced in a computer game, Santana was reading her new book and Brittany was sitting in Santa's lap asking him what unicorns got for Christmas. Will and Sue were bickering and little Kurt and Jean were playing with Lord Tubbington and his brand new cat nip toy. They all had huge smiles on their faces.

Emma sent a silent prayer to thank whatever higher power was out there for her beautiful family.

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><p><em>AN: sorry for this chapter, had some troubles getting into the Christmas spirit in the middle of summer. Thought I'd try and bribe you with a tiny hint of Klaine..hehe<em>


	23. Chapter 23: New Year's

Finn Schuester opened his eyes at around noon on the 31st of December. He had begged his family to allow him to sleep in because he was really excited about New Years Eve. This was the most exciting night of the year, not only did you get to stay up real late and light up fireworks, he had also been told that midnight was the perfect moment to kiss a girl. Of course he had kissed Rachel a whole lot of times by now, but if this midnight kiss was really as romantic as he had been told, the girl just might allow him to go a little further. Maybe she would even allow him to touch her boobs! Okay, her boobs were not that great, but they were real girl boobs after all and Finn had never touched any before, so he was not going to complain. But then he remembered that the girl's fathers would be at the party too and maybe she would not want to have her boobs touched in front of them. He would just have to lead her away from everyone before midnight, find a place more private to take things further than the kissing they had been doing for months now. He closed his eyes again trying to imagine going further, but then his tummy grumbled really loudly and the hunger for something else won.

When Finn entered the living room he found his siblings lounging in front of the television watching what looked like a Peanuts cartoon special.

"Oh wow. Look who's alive!" Sam joked.

"Yeah, we thought you'd started hibernating or something." Santana added.

"Very funny." Finn said and reached for a plate that sat on the coffee table. Only three cookies were left and he wolfed them down in no time.

He looked around for more food but could not see any, he also could not see two of his siblings.

"Where are Brittany and Kurt?" he asked.

"They are in the kitchen playing with Fimo." Artie replied.

When the kitchen was mentioned Finn's tummy gave another noisy growl. He got up to go look for food. Puck followed him. When they reached the kitchen they saw Brittany, Kurt and Jean Sylvester working at the kitchen table.

"Dude, that's not Fimo, that's Auntie Jean." Finn said.

Puck could only laugh and shake his head as he grabbed some milk from the fridge.

"Kurt, why don't you explain to Finn what you're doing."

"We are playing with Fimo clay." the little boy replied. "You can make brooches and pendants and other cool stuff with it."

"Oh, that's fun I guess." the oldest Schuester boy still did not quite know what his siblings were doing, but he guessed it had something to do with all of the arts and crafts things his little brother had gotten for Christmas. The little boy was really into that kind of stuff. His favourite present had been a bedazzler. Funnily enough Santa Beiste had told Brittany that all unicorns got bedazzlers for Christmas, so the girl was now convinced her little brother must be at least part magical creature.

"It would be even more fun if we could bake them to make things last, but none of us are allowed to use the oven." the little boy pouted.

"Ah, I'm sure we can help you with that, ranger." Puck said after drinking a big gulp of milk straight from the carton.

Kurt beamed at his older brother and clapped his hands in excitement.

"Now what do we have to do?" Finn asked the little boy.

"We put all of these on a tray and then they go in the oven for fifteen minutes."

"Hm.. at what temperature?" Puck asked

"I dunno…" Kurt bit his lower lip and looked at his big brothers with wide blue eyes.

"Maybe they are like pizza." Finn suggested.

"Read the instructions." Jean supplied.

They found the instruction sheet after a few minutes of searching and soon the oven was doing its job. Kurt was so excited he was kneeling in front of it trying to see if their work was already changing and Brittany soon joined him.

"Jean, your sister is here!" Emma called from the front door.

"I'm busy! I'm a jeweller!" Jean yelled back.

Emma and Sue entered the kitchen to see what was going on. Sue hugged her sister and kissed her hair.

"Having fun, Jeanie?" she asked.

"Yes, Susie. Very much." the older woman replied.

"You better not have been drinking from that carton." Emma said looking at the box of milk and then her mohawked son. Puck just grinned at his mother, who could not resist his charms and playfully slapped the back of his head.

"I'm really hungry, mom!" Finn whined, rubbing his belly.

"Yes, honey. I was just about to start lunch." Emma looked at Kurt and Brittany sitting in front of the oven. "Have you started without me?"

"We are making jewellery, mommy." Brittany beamed.

"And what are we supposed to eat?" the woman asked smiling.

"Please, we just need twelve more minutes." Kurt begged.

"MOOOOOM." Finn moaned.

"Don't worry, honey. I'll make pasta, okay?"

"Yes! Hurry!"

"Would you like to join us?" Emma asked Sue.

"Please Susie! I love pasta!" Jean said looking up to her sister.

"Well, okay then." the cheerleading coach replied. She could never refuse her sister anything.

"Great. You can help me with the salad." Emma said, handing Sue a bowl. The blonde woman looked like she had just been asked to clean the bathroom with her tongue.

* * *

><p>After lunch and after the whole family had admired Kurt's, Brittany's and Jean's work, everyone decided to take a small nap to be fit for their party. Kurt and Artie had insisted they were not tired but Will told them they would not be allowed to attend the party and see the fireworks if they did not go to their beds, so they went and laid down. They were both fast asleep just twenty minutes later.<p>

The only one who could not sleep at all was Finn. Maybe sleeping in had not been such a great idea after all and now he was getting really excited about the party and that did not help things either. He kept staring at his ceiling, counting cracks and listening to Puck snore, until his mobile phone vibrated.

The boy smiled when he saw that it was his girlfriend calling.

"Hi Rachel."

"Hello Finn. How are you?" the girl said.

"I'm great. Feeling so much better. " he replied. He had been complaining about his illness to her for days, trying to convince her that what he had was more than just a simple cold. That it might be a mutated virus and he could be the first person to get it. The disease might even be named after him. But right now he was planning a romantic night that was supposed to end in the kiss of all kisses. "I'm absolutely sure that I'm not contagious anymore."

"That's great to hear." she replied.

"I know! So, when are you coming?" the boy asked.

"I'm really sorry, Finn. I have some bad news. The weather is really bad here. The roads are not safe enough to drive."

"What does that mean?"

"It means I won't be able to come to your party. I'm sorry."

Finn did not know what to say. The girl really did sound sorry, but she had basically just ruined the party for him.

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry, Rachel, but I got to go. I'll call you later:"

He ended the phone call before the girl could reply. He felt like crying or at least punching something. He could not remember ever having been this disappointed before. All his plans had just been ruined.

He pitied himself for a while, but then a new kind of determination began to swell up in him. He was going to have fun at this party, he was going to have some epic tales to tell the guys at school and if Rachel did not care enough to show up, well then he would just have to find somebody else to kiss. The only problem was that most of the people at this party were related to him. The only people not related to him would be the Jones family, the Changs, the Cohen-Changs, the Sylvesters and Quinn. Yes, Quinn! The girl would be coming without her parents because they had some benefit to attend. The cheerleader would be absolutely perfect for his plan. She would be alone, she was popular and beautiful. Yes, tonight at midnight he would kiss Quinn Fabray!

Finn smiled and turned around in his bed, on the other side of the room he could see Noah. The boy was wearing a big smile himself.

"Why are you so happy, Puck?" the older boy asked.

"Tonight I'm going to kiss Quinn." the brother replied beaming.

* * *

><p>The party was absolutely perfect. The Schuesters seemed to get better with each event and by now could almost be considered professional party planners. When you had six birthday parties for kids of different ages to plan every year, nothing seemed to be able to shock you anymore. The grown ups mingled while the children danced around and sang. Sue guarded the punch bowl like an heirloom.<p>

Kurt was incredibly excited to finally see Mercedes again. He kept hugging his best friend. She proudly wore the necklace he had given her for Christmas and the brooch he had made for her just hours ago. Kurt had bought the belt too, but it was safely hidden away in his room, because he had decided to give it to the girl for her birthday in just a few months. Of course Mercedes had put a lot of thought into the boy's present as well and Kurt could not be happier with his sea monkey watch. They were so busy catching up, Emma had to almost force them to eat something.

Finn and Puck could not wait for Quinn to arrive and when the girl finally did, she looked absolutely stunning in a light blue and silver dress. The boys both held their breaths.

"You look like an ice princess." Santana greeted the older girl.

"Thank you very much." Quinn blushed.

The little exchange seemed to have given the two oldest Schuester kids enough time to recover.

"Hi Quinn." they said in unison.

The girl smiled at them.

"Do you need anything?"

"Can I get you something?"

The boys did not even wait for a reply before they took off. Santana and Brittany tried to apologise for their brothers, but Quinn found it quite amusing. Just a minute later Finn appeared with some cake, while Puck was holding out a glass of non-alcoholic punch. The blonde cheerleader thanked the two of them politely before setting both items down on the next table.

"Can I get you something else?"

"Would you like to dance?"

The boys almost shoved their sisters out of the way to get closer to the girl.

"Are you cold?"

"Do you want a coat?"

"Are you hot? We could go for a walk outside."

"Would you like me to show you our fireworks?"

"Puck, don't you have something else to do?"

"I don't know, don't you have a girlfriend to call?"

Puck was getting annoyed, why was Finn suddenly so eager to please Quinn? The boy was dating Rachel after all!

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked the taller teen.

The two boys went up to their room to get some privacy.

"What exactly are you doing?" Puck asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean why are you sucking up to Quinn, you are Rachel's boyfriend!"

"Rachel is not coming!"

"And that makes it okay to cheat?"

"I'm not cheating, I just want someone to kiss at midnight!"

"Well, you're not going to kiss Quinn!"

"Oh yeah? And why's that?"

"Because I will be kissing her!" Puck stormed from the room.

Finn followed his brother but when they got back to the living room they could not find the blonde girl anywhere.

"This is your fault!" they yelled at each other.

"Are you fighting?" Kurt appeared next to them looking concerned.

"No, ranger." Puck playfully messed up his little brother's hair, earning him a squeak from the little boy.

"Are you sure? It sounded like you were fighting."

"We just both want something, but we can't both have it." Finn supplied.

"Can't you share?" the child asked innocently.

"Unfortunately that's not an option."

"Well, then you should make a deal and promise each other that neither of you will get it."

The two older boys looked at each other. Neither wanted to back down, but they did not want to upset their little brother, so they both mumbled a promise to not get whatever it was they could not share.

The little boy skipped away happily, joining Mercedes, Sam, Mike and Tina in a game of twister, Artie was the judge and spun the wheel for them.

As hard as the two teenage boys tried, they could not find Quinn anywhere. They got dragged into several rounds of twister, which Finn lost every time and that just frustrated him even more. Kurt also seemed to keep a close eye on them, he kept walking up to them trying to cheer them up with little stories. He even allowed them to name one of his sea monkeys. They chose the name Douglas, after a very skinny football player on their team.

"Hey guys, do you want to join Sam, Mike and me in a Halo tournament?" Artie asked the two brothers about twenty minutes before midnight.

"Thanks, bro, but we got to go check on something else first."

"What's more important than Halo?" the younger boy was shocked.

"Uhm, we are going to get the fireworks ready." Puck lied.

"But dad said we aren't allowed to touch those without him."

"We are just setting things up. Dad asked us to."

"Oh, okay."

The boys just stood around looking at each other.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Don't you have to go outside to prepare the fireworks?"

"Oh, yeah. We are going right now."

The older boys grabbed their coats and went outside to their garden.

"Great, now we are going to freeze our asses off and it is all thanks to you!"

"Oh just stop it, Puck! I'm sick of you trying to make me feel bad!"

"You should feel bad! You are planning on cheating on your girlfriend."

"It is not cheating when it's New Year's Eve."

"Of course it is!"

"Why are you so mad anyways?" Finn asked.

"Because you already have everything and now you want to take his away from me, too!" Noah cried.

Finn was stunned, he had not been expecting this.

"What do you mean? I don't have everything!"

"Well, let's see." Puck started. "You're the oldest son, that means you will always be the golden boy. You are the story they tell people when they are asked about adopting. You're the miracle baby! And you've got their last name. I will always be a Puckerman, but you will be the one to pass the Schuester name on."

Finn gulped, he did not know his brother felt this way. And really, Schuester could not be such a rare name, could it?

"And then we start high school and you immediately become one of the most popular guys there."

"Dude, I'm not….."

"You know they are going to make you quarterback as soon as Marcus graduates!"

Finn did not know how to reply. Coach Beiste had hinted at something like that, so he could not deny it.

"And then you get the perfect girlfriend. The Jewish glee club princess! And you don't even know how lucky you are. She adores you, Finn."

"I love, Rachel." the tall teen tried to defend himself.

"Then why are you so keen on breaking her heart? You know she would find out, with all the people here."

"I… I'm not…"

"Just so you got something to tell the guys in the locker room? So you can become even more popular? I never thought you'd be this shallow, bro!"

"What's with all this talk about popularity. I didn't think you cared."

Finn really did not think his brother cared about this stuff, he was always far too busy playing the resident badass.

"Do you have any idea what it feels like to always be second best?" Puck cried.

"Dude…"

Finn took the few steps towards his brother and hugged him tight.

"I'm sorry, okay. I'm an idiot."

Puck laughed.

"I'm not gonna go after Quinn." Finn continued. "I'm glad you stopped me. You're right, it would've messed up everything I have with Rachel and I love her."

He looked at his brother, who was busy wiping away the tears that didn't suit the tough exterior he was trying so hard to keep up.

"And you know our siblings totally love you more than me." Finn said.

"Now you're exaggerating." Puck chuckled.

"Oh come on! Kurt totally worships the ground you walk on! Ever since he gave you that silly haircut and you started giving him that nickname it's like you're in this little club together."

Puck grinned, he actually was really proud of his special connection to his youngest sibling, only Santana could pride herself with being similarly close to the boy.

The boys heard the first fireworks go off in the street.

"Oh shit. We're going to miss it."

They both turned to leave the garden and run to the street. When they looked up they could see the lights were on in their sisters' room. Quinn and Santana were standing close to the window.

Both boys gasped as they saw the blonde cheerleader press a soft kiss to the younger girl's lips.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: <strong>__Chapter dedicated to Kalexico, who was one of the first people to message me about the story and has influenced it greatly! Special credit goes to ChuckNorrisLeftFist for making me laugh with the Santa Beiste comment._

_**My reviewers rock!**_


	24. Chapter 24: Gym Class

AN: Thanks for all the reviews!

* * *

><p>The holidays were over far too soon and the Schuester family found themselves caught up in their everyday struggles again. The short truce between Will and Sue was over and she had immediately gone back to sabotaging the glee club wherever she could. Emma was busy counselling a pregnant senior, a junior who had been caught with drugs and the usual crowd of hormonal and overtaxed teens.<p>

Finn and Puck were closer than ever, both bubbling with excitement because of an upcoming football match. They were also both busy keeping a close eye on their younger sister.

"Mom, they are doing it again!" Santana complained.

"Boys stop staring at your sister." Emma mumbled through a mouth full of breakfast bagel.

Ever since the witnessed kiss on New Year's Eve the boys had been watching Quinn and their sister closely, but it was like the girls knew they were doing it, so they never managed to catch the two of them together in anything but completely innocent situations. It was very frustrating for the two football players but they did not dare ask the girls about it either, knowing both of them would be likely to scratch their eyes out.

Will was busy reading the latest review on Sue's Corner in the newspaper, shaking his head, while Sam and Artie were discussing a new movie based on their favourite computer game and who would be the best choice to play their heroine. Brittany kept sneaking small pieces of cheese to Lord Tubbington, even though the parents had told her it was not good for the cat about a million times. The only one behaving out of his usual morning routine was Kurt. The small boy sat quietly in his seat, looking paler than usual and picking at his food.

"Are you feeling okay, buddy?" Will asked dropping the newspaper.

The little boy only nodded and sighed, which just made the whole family even more concerned. Several hands shot out to feel his forehead.

"You don't feel hot." Emma said. "Are you feeling nauseas?"

The boy just shook his head. The parents exchanged a glance.

"Is everything okay at school?"

Another nod.

"Do you have any special plans with Mercedes today?"

"Her grandma gave her a lot of old magazines, we are going to cut stuff out and make collages."

"That sounds great." Emma beamed, but her young son only managed a small smile.

"Kurtie, you would tell us if something was wrong right?"

"Everything's fine." the child sighed. There was no need to worry his family.

The parents exchanged another glance but did not want to pressure the child so they let it go.

"Okay, everyone get ready. We are leaving in a few minutes."

The twins were on kitchen duty, so they helped Emma clear the table before grabbing their coats and waiting by the front door with their siblings. Will took the older kids, while Emma drove Artie and Kurt to their elementary school. After she had waved her sons off she realised she still had some time before her first appointment and entered the school looking for Kurt's teacher, Miss Bingham. Emma found her in the teacher' lounge.

"Mrs. Schuester! Good Morning! What brings you here?"

The young teacher seemed genuinely surprised to see the mother, Emma wondered if this was a good sign and meant there was nothing wrong with her son and she was just being overly protective again - or if maybe it was a bad sign showing the teacher just did not care enough about the boy.

"I had a few minutes and just thought I'd check with you on Kurt's progress."

"Oh, why don't we go to my office."

The two women went to an empty classroom.

"The kids are at an assembly." miss Bingham explained. "We are teaching them about eco-systems and saving the environment. Even the cafeteria meals are strictly vegetarian all week." The young teacher looked like she was expecting some kind of praise, but Emma could only roll her eyes and wait for the woman to continue, which she did. "So why don't you tell me why you came?"

"The last time we talked you said my son had some trouble participating and was whispering to his friend in class a lot."

"Oh yes, he still does that - the whispering - don't think we'll ever get that to stop." Miss Bingham smiled so Emma did not think Kurt was in any trouble. "His participation in class has gotten a lot better, though."

"Really?" Emma was happy to hear that, even though it did not offer a solution to her current problem.

"He is a good student. He always does his homework, he writes very neatly, he answers when I call upon him in class and from time to time he even volunteers to answer a question."

"So he speaks in class now?" Emma knew Dr. Davies had been working with Kurt on that problem.

"Yes. He is still very shy and it gets worse when the other kids tease him, but he's a stubborn and smart kid."

"Why do the other kids tease him?" Emma frowned. "Are his answers wrong?"

"No, not at all. Like I said he is very smart for his age." Miss Bingham paused and took a deep breath. "They tease him because of his speech impediment."

"Speech impediment?" Emma had no idea what the woman was talking about, Kurt had a very slight lisp, yes, but calling it an impediment? The ginger herself actually found it rather cute and it was in no way prominent enough to cause teasing, even though she knew children could be very cruel.

"Mrs. Schuester, you do know that your son stutters, right?" the teacher was confused.

"What?" Emma was confused. "Kurt doesn't stutter."

"He does in my class." the teacher replied.

Emma was not sure how to deal with this piece of information, she would have to talk to Will and then find a way to ask their son without causing any further damage to his confidence. She excused herself and made her way out of the school deep in thought.

* * *

><p>Kurt sat in the school cafeteria picking at his vegetarian yet surprisingly gross looking lunch. He had made it through most of the school day okay, he had gotten pretty used to the teasing and the other kids snickering behind his back. He had received a golden star on his homework and he got to spend lots of time with Mercedes, but he knew the worst part of the day was still ahead of him. He sighed and pushed his plate away from himself.<p>

"What's wrong, bro?" Artie asked looking concerned.

Kurt did not answer, he just let his head drop onto the table, earning him confused looks from Artie and Tina and a couple of giggles from kids sitting at the surrounding tables.

"We got gym class next." Mercedes replied, gently rubbing her best friends back.

"Y-Y-You don't l-l-like gym class, K-K-Kurt?" Tina asked.

The boy just shook his head and groaned. He hated gym class. He got through most of his school days just fine, he had Mercedes by his side and he was smart enough to find all subjects fairly easy. All except for gym class. Tina had taught him that stuttering made people less likely to force you to speak, so he had tried that and it worked perfectly. His teacher was much friendlier to him now, she only called upon him half as much as she did with the other children and he could not care less about what they thought of him. But the gym had turned into Kurt's own little hell. First of all there were the locker rooms, he was separated from Mercedes there, it made him feel unprotected, insecure and alone. The other boys made fun of him, because he was the smallest and Kurt did not even want to think about the smell. Locker rooms smelled like something had died in there - and a little bot like today's lunch, the boy did not understand why his oldest brothers enjoyed spending so much time in them. He briefly wondered if a locker room would make Emma happy when she was on one of her cleansing trips, she would be able to spend days in there and still find new spots that needed cleaning. Kurt for his part tried to touch as little of the surfaces as possible and vowed to never enter such a room unless he was forced to do so.

And that was exactly what the small boy was thinking while he was standing in a corner of the locker room, trying to become invisible. The other boys were shouting, running about, chasing and hitting each other. Kurt just stood there thinking about how hideous the shirts they were all forced to wear were and how his own was itching on his skin. He was hugging his pink ranger closely, staring at the clock above the door, willing time to go by faster.

"Oh, now look at our little girl holding her doll!" one of the boys suddenly said, approaching Kurt.

Kurt cursed his faulty power of invisibility and backed up as far as he could.

"What's wrong, Kurtina?" another boy asked, earning him a round of giggles, which in turn made him swell with pride.

Kurt bit his lip. He knew he had no chance to fight them or even make a run for it. Stuttering would not help him here either, so instead he chose to channel his inner Victoria and put a perfect "bitch, please" face on. He was better than all of them!

"Oh look at the princess getting all high and mighty!" one of the tallest boys said taking a step towards Kurt, the smaller boy did his best not to flinch.

Luckily their teacher appeared at that very moment, yelling at them to get a move on and get to the gym. Kurt did not like the way gym teachers seemed to yell all the time. Also this one was strange with his obviously fake tan that made him look almost orange, and the way he always smelled like cigarette smoke.

"Kurt, leave that damn doll in here!" the teacher said, he was sick of seeing the pink action figure. It provoked the other boys and had in the teacher's eyes been the cause of several fights.

Kurt gave the man a "Teachers should not be swearing" look as he passed him, still holding the ranger tightly. Once in the gym they were told to do laps to warm up. Kurt ran next to Mercedes who hated this class just as much as he did. Both children wondered what they would be doing in class today. The boy thought it might be dodge ball again. He hated and loved that game equally. He hated it because every single one of the other boys always chose him as the first target, which meant he would get hit by almost all of the balls at once and that hurt. He loved it because it meant he could just sit out the rest of class. Mercedes always made sure to join him as soon as possible.

"I think they're gonna make us climb the ropes again." the black girl sighed. She hated that exercise.

Kurt would not have minded rope climbing. He was pretty good at climbing and exercises like that, where they had to take turns, made things easier for him, because he could just trust Mercedes with his ranger while he climbed. Instead the teachers announced they would be playing basketball and split the boys and girls into different groups. Mercedes gave Kurt a small wave before she had to leave for the other side of the gym. The boy sighed, he knew the teacher would not allow him to play while holding the action figure and now he had no one he trusted enough to hold the toy for him. He tried putting the ranger on his hip, having it held up there by the waistband of his shorts, but the other boys started laughing and pointing and that of course alerted the teacher.

"Kurt, go and put that thing in the locker room."

The little boy wanted to cry or at least argue, but he knew it would not help. This teacher already did not like him very much and he did not want to be kept after class to do extra laps, his brothers told him that's what the coach made them do when they did not behave in practice. Pouting he went back to the locker room. He started to look for a safe place for the pink ranger, but he could not find one. The lockers did not even have actual locks, anyone would be able to take the action figure.

"Stop wasting time, kiddo. Put the toy in your locker and get back to class." the teacher called from the door.

Kurt snuck a quick kiss to the ranger's head and placed it carefully in his bag inside his locker. He held his head high as he walked back to the other boys and endured the torture of public school physical education.

When the boys returned to the locker rooms Kurt could tell by the snickers that followed him that something was up. He went straight to his locker and opened his bag. The pink power ranger was gone. He swallowed hard, trying not to let them see him cry.

"Why so sad, Hummel? Miss your little dolly?" the taunting began.

"Give it back." Kurt sneered.

The other boys just laughed and when the teacher came to check on them they all started to get changed, showing no sign that something was going on. Kurt kept a close eye on the other boys, he caught them sneaking glances to something over his head quite a few times, so he decided to be patient and got dressed as slowly as possible. When all of the other boys had left he looked up and sighed with relief as he spotted the ranger. It was lying on top of a locker, having obviously been thrown there. The pale boy could only hope the villains had not had time to dunk the toy into the toilet. He climbed one of the benches, but it was neither high nor close enough to reach the top of the locker. Kurt sighed. He spotted a chair on the other side of the room and went to get it. He pushed it up to the lockers and climbed on top, but again he was not tall enough. He would not give up that easily! He wanted his ranger and he better get it fast, the next class would be getting there any minute now. He went back to the bench and with some difficulty pushed it up to the lockers, damn that thing was heavy. Kurt wiped his forehead and then he grabbed the chair and with great difficulty managed to put it on top of the bench. The little construction did not look very stable at all, but it would have to do. The small boy climbed the bench again and then began to climb the chair. It wobbled a bit but did not fall. Kurt stretched himself as far as he could, but he could still not reach the toy. He muttered a string of curses he had learned from Noah, but he was not yet ready to admit defeat. He held onto the door of the locker next to him and tried climbing onto the back of the chair - when suddenly two hands grabbed him and pulled him back down. Kurt gave a loud shriek before he fell. He landed on top of another boy but quickly rolled of.

"What are you doing? Trying to kill yourself?" the other boy yelled.

Kurt swallowed, this boy was no other than David Karofsky and even though he had not bothered him in quite a while he still scared the younger boy.

"You're not going to speak to me, huh?" Dave asked.

Kurt just blinked. What did that hamhock think? Of course he was not going to speak to him. He had attacked Kurt and his brother, broken Artie's glasses and just made him fall! The little boy just glared but it did not seem to bother the older one at all.

"So what's up there that's worth breaking your neck for?" he asked.

Kurt of course did not reply so Dave took a few steps back and had a look.

"Ah, that's your power puff doll!"

"Power Ranger!"

"So you can speak after all?" Dave grinned and Kurt pouted over letting himself be tricked. "Why don't you just ask the coach to help you?" the older boy continued.

Both children looked towards the door they knew the teacher was hiding behind to have enough cigarettes to make it through his next class.

"He hates me." the smaller boy whispered.

Before he knew it Dave Karofsky had climbed the chair and gotten the toy off the top of the locker, he made it back to the ground safely, just in time before Kurt's little construction crashed down.

"You know, sometimes you might think someone hates you, but in reality they just like you more than they want to." Dave said handing Kurt his toy.

Kurt blinked, looking at the older boy in disbelief, but before he could thank him Karofsky grabbed the little boy by his shirt.

"You better not tell anybody about this." he threatened.

Kurt just shook his head, grabbed his bag and ran off.

* * *

><p>When the family was sitting down for dinner that evening Emma and Will were watching their youngest son closely. They had tried to talk to him before but he had again assured them that everything was alright. They had even interrogated Artie but the boy had been no help at all. They had not asked about the stuttering because they wanted to talk to Dr. Davies first.<p>

"MOM! They are doing it again!" Santana ripped her parents out of their thoughts.

"Boys, stop staring at your sister." the parents said in unison.

"Shouldn't you be busy trying to think of strategies for the football game this Saturday? Coach Beiste said there's a good chance you guys might actually get to play." Emma tried to divert her sons' attention.

"Yes! Totally!" the boys beamed. "We are playing against Dalton Academy and Coach Beiste wants to give some of the other guys a break."

"Can't wait to see it." Will boasted.

"Do we all get to go?" Artie asked.

"Of course, buddy. We need you, Sam and Kurt to keep an eye on your sisters around all those football players!" Will joked.

"And cheerleaders." Puck coughed, only loud enough for Finn and Santana to hear, it earned him a sharp elbow to his ribs from the latina.

While the family was busy talking about the upcoming match Kurt leaned closer to his youngest brother.

"Artie, do you think you could do me a favour?" he asked.

"Of course, bro. Anything you want."

"Can you keep my ranger safe when I'm in gym class?"


	25. Chapter 25: The Game

AN: Thanks again for all the positive reviews.

* * *

><p>Sam Schuester woke early on Friday morning, he had just been dreaming about joining his brothers in their football match and he had been about to make the winning touch down, so he was a little annoyed about being torn from his sleep. Then he heard a series of whimpers followed by a heartbreaking sob coming from his little brother's bed.<p>

"Kurt?" the blonde teen asked.

"Mommy!" the little boy cried in his sleep.

Sam got up and walked over to his brother, gently shaking the smaller boy by his shoulder.

"Kurt, wake up."

"Daddy!" the boy woke with another cry and looked around, obviously disoriented. He tried to free himself from the arms that were trying to wrap themselves around him, but when he realised it was his brother he allowed himself to be pulled into a warm embrace.

"Shhh… it's okay." Sam rocked the smaller boy gently.

"I'm so sorry, Sam. I didn't mean to wake you up." Kurt sobbed.

"It's okay. Hasn't happened in quite a long time."

This was actually true. Sam had not woken up to his brother being in such bad shape in months. He knew Kurt still had nightmares because from time to time he would wake up in the middle of the night to see the boy sneaking off to the bathroom to write in his nightmare diary. The crying and screaming however had stopped and Sam worried as to why it might be back now.

"Do you want to write it down in the diary? You can do it here. I don't mind." Sam offered.

"No. Nothing new to write." Kurt sniffled. "I'll just write the date down later."

The older boy nodded. He knew Kurt, Puck and Santana often had the same recurring bad dreams about their old homes. Just like Artie often dreamed about the car accident. In a way he thought that made him, his twin Brittany and Finn the lucky ones, they did not have nightmares plaguing them. On the other hand they all had these questions no one could answer for them: Where did they come from? Why had their mothers not loved them enough to stay away from drugs? Who did they look like? Did they maybe pass family members on the street without even knowing? Sam knew that Finn was going to try and find his mother as soon as he was old enough. The tall teen wanted his questions answered. Sam was not so sure if he wanted those answers, maybe some things were better left unknown. He fled into the world of science fiction and fantasy when the questioning voices in his head got louder. All the great heroes had some mysteries surrounding their origins.

"Anything I can do for you?" the teen asked his little brother while wiping away some of the boy's tears.

"Can you…. can you just hold me for a few minutes?" a small voice asked.

"Of course." Sam hugged his brother closer and pulled the blanket up over them.

When Emma came to wake the two boys in the morning they were already up and dressed and busy staring at the sea monkey aquarium while making up background stories for all its inhabitants. The mother smiled, though she was still very concerned about her youngest son, who seemed to look even paler today. She gave him an extra vitamin pill with his breakfast, maybe he was getting sick.

* * *

><p>At school Kurt of course spent all his time with Mercedes. The girl was very excited about the upcoming high school football match, even though it was just a friendly and it was very likely her brother was not even going to play. She was telling something about how her brother was already being offered scholarships and then one day he would be a famous NFL player and Mercedes would be a celebrated diva and their family would basically rule the world. Kurt loved his friend and her excitement and normally he would have been joining her plans for world domination in a heartbeat, but today he just felt tired. Maybe he had stayed up talking to Sam too long, he could only hope his brother was not feeling as lousy as he was. Tina and Artie joined them for lunch, but the little boy only picked at his food again, he just did not feel hungry.<p>

"We have gym class again." Mercedes explained when she noticed Artie's and Tina's concerned looks.

Kurt looked up. He had completely forgotten about gym class! Lack of sleep obviously was not good for him. He handed his pink power ranger to Artie, who promised to take good care of it. When the older boy however proceeded to stuff the toy into a bag at the back of his wheelchair, the younger one could only look on in shock.

"I-I-I'll t-take him." Tina offered and placed the ranger in her lap, earning her a thankful smile from Kurt, not only for taking the ranger but also for calling him "him" and not "it". On the days following his nightmares he felt especially protective of the action figure and it was hard enough to let go of it, without knowing it would be stuffed in a bag with god knows what. Kurt knew it was difficult for his siblings to understand just how special the toy was to him. The only one who treated the ranger with just as much care and respect as Kurt did was Brittany, and that was simply because she thought the doll was alive. The girl had screamed and cried just as much as her little brother when Lord Tubbington had tried to run off with the ranger once, Kurt had not let it go again for weeks.

When Kurt entered the locker room he tried his best to stay invisible. It seemed to work this time, because a skinny boy with a jewfro had apparently wet himself when he could not get out of his dungarees in time. Kurt felt a little sorry for the boy, but he had always found him kind of creepy so he did not feel too guilty about being happy for not being the target for once. The coach made them play dodge ball and for the first time since joining the school Kurt was not the first kid to get sent off. He was however a close second and one of the balls had hit him right in the face so he sat down rubbing his aching head. Mercedes joined him soon after.

"Kurt, will you marry me?" the girl asked.

"Hm?" the boy replied, still rubbing his head.

"The girls say if I want to become a real diva I'll have to get married at least three or four times. They also say no one would ever want to marry me." Mercedes was clearly upset about that.

"I'll definitely marry you." Kurt said, making his best friend smile.

When their mother's came to pick them up that day they found them waiting together and holding hands like usual. They kissed goodbye, happy to see each other at the match the next day.

* * *

><p>Back at the Schuester house Emma told her youngest son to lay down for a bit, she still was not happy with the way he looked and now he seemed to be having a bad headache as well. She knew he was feeling bad when he did not even argue and just went to bed. Her other children were far too hyper to even sit still. Finn and Puck kept counting the hours until their football game and their excitement proved to be contagious.<p>

When Kurt woke up on Saturday he felt like he had been hit by a truck - about fifty times - and had then run a marathon and climbed Mount Everest. When he was asked how he was feeling he simply smiled and said "fine". There was no way he was going to miss the game when everyone else was going!

"Kurtie, there will be lots of games in the future. You can tell me if you are feeling too ill to go." Emma said shortly before it was time to go.

"I'm fine. I wanna go. I wanna cheer for my brothers."

Will and Emma could not help but smile at that statement.

"Okay, but wear something warmer than what you got on now. It will be cold."

"But I chose this cuz it has the right colours!" the little boy pouted.

"Just for tonight you will have to put comfort before fashion, okay."

Kurt gasped and was about to protest but he really could not risk being grounded now, so he stomped upstairs to show his protest. He emerged in warmer clothes shortly after. Emma smiled as she tied his scarf for him. She wanted to watch her sons play just as much as the rest of them and was glad they were all going.

The doorbell rang and it was Mike, so they were all ready to go. Finn and Puck had left hours ago with Matt, eager to get there early and get a bit of last minute coaching. When the family arrived at the school Sam and Mike excused themselves to go exploring. Quinn came to greet the Schuesters in her cheerleading uniform. The blonde girl looked very pretty and Santana beamed when she saw her.

"Hi Quinn." the latina breathed, playing with her hair.

"Hi." Quinn smiled but neither girl really knew what to do so the cheerleader bent down to Kurt's level instead "I love your scarf." she said and kissed the little boy's cheek.

Kurt beamed, he was very proud of having found a scarf in the school colours that didn't look completely hideous. It definitely looked much better than Rachel's sweater, the girl appeared looking like a giant candy cane.

"Hi everyone." she smiled. The glee club captain was excited because she had been chosen to sing the national anthem before the game.

Santana asked if she could have a look around with Quinn and the parents allowed it. The girls walked away smiling. The family stayed inside for as long as possible but soon decided to face the cold in order to get some good seats.

They found some free seats in the front row, which was really the only row they could sit with Artie. The boy felt a little self-conscious about his family not being allowed to get better places because of him, but nobody said a thing and they were really happy to all sit together. They saved some seats behind themselves for Sam, Mike and Santana. When a group of people tried to sit there Brittany simply laid down on the benches. Kurt sat between his new parents who kept their arms around him to keep him warm. His head hurt and he felt a bit dizzy, but he did not tell anyone. He kept looking for Mercedes but he could not find her in the crowd. Sam and Mike reappeared, they had been allowed to briefly visit their brothers in the locker room and were beyond excited, they just couldn't wait to be on that field themselves. Emma winced at the thought, her blonde son still looked so much more delicate than his brothers, but she knew he would probably hit a growth spurt soon, that boy was eating all the time yet did not seem to gain any weight. Santana followed her brother and his friend shortly after, the girl looked upset and like she had been crying but said it was just the cold wind biting her eyes. Kurt wanted to go give her a hug but Rachel walked out on the field at that very moment and all attention turned to the petite girl. She sang flawless and beautifully.

"Whoop!" Will cheered for his star student.

The match began and Finn and Puck both got to play from the beginning. Will was about to burst with pride while Emma kept sending silent prayers to all available deities to ask for her sons not to be harmed. Kurt did not understand any of the rules, but cheered when everybody else did. He was a bit upset about not having found Mercedes yet so he kept scanning the crowd for his best friend and her family. When he still had not found her close to half time he even kept looking through the crowd of Dalton Academy supporters. He gasped when he thought he recognised one of them. There was a boy, not much older than him and event though he was wearing a thick, knitted hat, Kurt was sure his hair was dark and curly. He just knew this was the boy from the show at Kings Island and the Christmas Carol musical. The boy was jumping up and down on top of his seat, cheering for his team and Kurt had to smile, he just looked so happy and excited.

Kurt was briefly distracted by a whistle and when he looked back everyone was getting up from their seats and he could not see the boy anymore. He sighed, he was probably hallucinating anyways, there was no way the same boy would appear in all these places.

"Let's go inside and get some hot drinks. I'm sure we will find Mercedes and her mother there." Emma told him and he nodded, allowing her to take him by his hand.

They walked through the school corridors which were crowded with people, trying to find their drink, a bathroom and the Jones family. Kurt and his foster mother soon lost the other family members. The ginger woman huffed, suspecting that her older children had gotten lost on purpose. She tightened her hold on her youngest son's hand as they made their way through the crowd. She thought she had seen Mrs. Jones' head a couple of feet in front of them.

"Emma? Emma Pillsbury!" came a voice from behind.

"Yes?" she turned and asked. She was facing a tall blonde man with friendly grey eyes. He looked somewhat familiar but she could not quit place him.

"Oh my god! You have not changed at all!" the man laughed. "Jonathan Anderson." he supplied pointing to himself.

"Oh! Oh my god! I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you!" Emma smiled.

"Yes, well.. It's been more than twenty years, so I forgive you." the man smiled. "You look great!" he added.

Emma blushed. Kurt did not like this, was that man flirting with his mother? He tried to pull Emma away, but she didn't budge. He pouted and swayed on his feet, he really felt awful.

"What brings you here?" she asked the man.

"My oldest son is playing. Charles, he's sixteen. He is the quarterback of Dalton Academy."

"That's wonderful. Two of my sons are playing for McKinley."

"Wow! So you have three sons as well?" he asked looking at Kurt. He winked at the boy and something about it seemed strangely familiar but the boy could not quite place it.

"Oh, no. I have seven children. Five sons, two daughters. Kurt here is our youngest."

"Wow. Seven! We only have three, Charles is sixteen and our football star, Daniel is fourteen, he loves baseball. And Blaine just turned ten, he… " the man paused, like he had to think about what his son liked. "He likes music." was all he came up with.

"That's great. All my kids love music and singing. My husband is the glee club director here."

The man said something about being a business man and how the economy was treating him well enough to be able to afford private school for his sons, but Kurt had zoned out.

"I can see Mercedes!" he interrupted, pulling on Emma's sleeve.

"Well, I better go find my family." the man said.

The two adults said their goodbyes.

"Kurt, that was very rude." Emma scolded.

"I'm sorry." he looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

They soon returned to the field to watch the rest of the game, Kurt now sitting with Mercedes. He kept looking for the boy in the stands with the Dalton fans but he could not find him anymore. He would have loved to show him to his best friend and ask her if he was real or if Kurt was just imagining him.

Dalton Academy won, but it had been close and both Finn and Puck had gotten special praise from their coach, so they were happy. The only one who did not look happy was Santana, Kurt cuddled up to her on the ride home but was not able to cheer her up. When he was getting ready for bed and leaving the bathroom he overheard his two sisters talking in their room.

"She looked so beautiful in that uniform, everybody was staring at her. The guys were practically drooling all over her. I know she enjoyed it." Santana was sobbing. "All I wanted was to give her a hug or maybe hold her hand and she acted like she could not risk being seen with me. It hurt so much."

Kurt could hear Brittany trying to calm her sister down. He did not understand what was going on and he did not think he could help. Right now he was not even sure he was going to be able to walk back to his room. His head was still killing him and he began to think that maybe he was getting sick after all.

* * *

><p>When he opened his eyes the next morning he saw Will smiling down on him.<p>

"Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?"

"Bad." Kurt rasped after thinking about the question for what seemed like a really long time. He looked around the room. "Where's Sam?" he asked.

"He's spending the weekend at Mike's."

Kurt blinked. He could not remember his brother making plans like that and he was pretty sure Sam had been there when he had gone to bed.

"Is something wrong?" the confused boy asked.

"It is nothing bad." Will assured him.

"Is someone sick?" Kurt asked.

"Yes."

"Is it me?"

Will smiled and nodded. "It's going to be okay."

"What's wrong with me?"

Will sighed and handed the small boy a mirror.

"You got chicken pox." He said.

Kurt screamed when he saw his reflection.


	26. Chapter 26: Pox

"I hate you." Santana said looking from her reflection in the mirror to her little brother sitting on the bed behind her.

"I'm really sorry." Kurt replied with tears in his eyes.

"Shhh… it's okay." the latina wrapped her arms around the small boy. "I know you didn't do it on purpose. Besides, if I had to choose one person in the world to give me the pox it would be you." She kissed her little brother's nose and he giggled, reaching up to scratch the spot she had kissed.

"No! No! No!" Emma walked in grabbing the little boy's hand. "No scratching! It could leave scars. You don't want scars, do you?"

"But it itches so much!" the boy said, his lower lip trembling.

"We'll think of something." Emma tried to calm him. She hugged him close and gently rubbed his back, allowing him to enjoy the friction. She laughed when he purred.

The little boy already looked a lot better than he had the day before. The first two days had been really hard for him, he had had a high fever and bad headaches and this seemed to somehow fuel his nightmares. He had woken up screaming several times. Now that he had slept through the whole night for the first time the colour returned to his cute little face. If it were not for the bad rash he would look healthy. The thing bothering him the most now, except for the itchiness, was the guilt he felt for giving the pox to some of his siblings. He hated seeing his family members feel ill and being responsible for it almost broke his heart.

They went downstairs, where Artie and Puck were lounging in front of the tv, both secretly rubbing their backs on the couch. All of the other Schuester kids had been vaccinated when they were little and were at school. The doorbell rang and the children looked at each other. Who could that be?

"That's our next patient." Emma declared. "She opened the door to reveal Rachel and one of her fathers.

"Thank you so much for taking care of her, Emma." The man said. "I really can't miss this meeting."

"Don't worry about it." the ginger woman said, while Rachel strolled over to the other kids.

"Great job, Kurt." Santana rolled her eyes. "First you give us the pox, now you give us the Berry."

"Don't be mean. I like Rachel." the boy replied.

The neighbour girl arrived at the couch to hear that last part and smiled. "Thanks, Kurt."

"Welcome to the club." Puck and Artie greeted her.

"Thank you very much." the girl said. "I was upset at first, I've never been really ill before, but now I just appreciate the drama of it all."

"Hear that, ranger? You just secured yourself a spot in Rachel's autobiography!" Puck snorted.

Kurt stuck his tongue out at his older brother, who quickly caught him and threw him over his shoulder.

"Put me down! Put me down!" the little boy shrieked and giggled.

"Let's make a deal. You scratch my back and I let you go:" Noah grinned.

"NO SCRATCHING!" Emma yelled from the kitchen just as Kurt was about to help his brother out.

Both boys moaned. They really did not have the patience to deal with this, looking at their siblings and Rachel they wondered why they were dealing with this so much better than they were. Of course Rachel had the determination of a robot and Artie was probably only being a lot sneakier than they were. For Santana this was the first day with the rash and her fever had not broken yet, so she was probably too weak to care.

When Puck set him down Kurt cuddled up to his sister. She had her eyes closed and he knew she was having a bad headache, but she had not wanted to stay in bed. Of course there was more than just the chicken pox plaguing her, ever since the football match she had not been her usual sassy self. She had been crying a lot and nobody seemed to know what was going on. The little boy hated to see his sister so sad and weak, it reminded him of his mother and watching the will to live leave her. The family knew that illness scared him, when Emma had to spend a day in bed with a particularly bad cold the boy had panicked so badly they were forced to call Dr. Davies for advice. In the end they had allowed him to stay close to his new mother because his soul was more important than keeping him away from a possible infection.

"I love you." Kurt whispered to the latina and she opened her eyes and offered him a smile.

"Kurt! Noah!" Emma called from the kitchen. "Come here for a minute, please."

The two boys looked at each other and slowly walked to their mother. The other kids could hear loud protests coming from the kitchen before the boys returned to the living room - both of them wearing oven gloves on their hands. There was tape around their wrists so they could not just take them off.

"Oh my God! You guys look hilarious!" Artie doubled over with laughter and even the girls could not help but giggle.

"Are you auditioning for Sesame Street?" Santana asked, a big smirk on her face.

"Oooh! Avenue Q!" Rachel added and grinned. She knew every musical that had ever been on Broadway.

"Not funny." Noah said while using the glove on his right hand as a puppet. Since the glove was in the shape of a fish it worked perfectly and everyone laughed.

"Let's watch something." Artie yawned from his place on the couch. "I'm bored."

"No stupid action movies or sappy romantic comedies." Santana said.

"Let's watch a musical!" Rachel piped up and Kurt clapped his hands in excitement.

"No way!" Artie and Puck protested.

"Calm down guys, I know one all of us will enjoy." Rachel said as she accessed the television's internet function and loaded youtube.

They watched A Very Potter Musical and even though the older boys and Santana hated to admit it Rachel had been right, they all loved it and when it finished they went right on to the sequel. They had a lot of fun and were laughing the whole time, Emma could not help but smile, luckily she was too busy making her house germ free to notice all the swearing the children were listening to. The kids were busy deciding which roles they wanted to play. Kurt wanted to be Draco Malfoy, even when they told him he was played by a girl, it just looked to be the most fun character to play. Artie wanted to be Ron because he got to eat a lot of cool snacks. Puck wanted to be Voldemort, but was not happy when they told him he would have to be Umbridge as well then. Rachel could not decide between Hermione and Ginny, because she felt Ginny got the better songs but she was not in the sequel that much and Santana agreed to be Cho Chang as long as it got Kurt to stop poking her because she took too long to decide.

"You know, we should really do that." Rachel said.

"Do what?" Artie asked.

"Perform, put on a show. With all the talent we got in glee club and this family we could put something great together."

The older kids just exchanged looks, thinking it was another one of Rachel's ideas that would be dismissed for a new one soon, but Kurt got really excited looking at the older girl in awe.

"Can Mercedes be in it?" he asked.

"Of course." Rachel said, making the boy smile.

While they were brainstorming ideas the phone rang and Emma answered it in the kitchen.

"Kids, I need to go for a very short while to sort something out at school. Will you be okay?" the woman looked a bit nervous about leaving five sick children alone.

"Mom, Rachel and I are almost fifteen. You worry too much. We will be fine." Noah said.

Emma smiled at her son and nodded, then she turned to Rachel. "Don't let them take off the gloves."

"Yes, Ma'm!" Rachel saluted.

The mother kissed all five kids on their heads before leaving with a last warning of "NO! SCRATCHING!"

They watched the rest of their musical and by the end of it Puck was no longer as opposed to playing Umbridge as long as he got to sing "Stutter". That song was really badass. Soon after the show ended Santana fell asleep and Artie and Noah started a video game. Rachel busied herself writing down ideas for her very own musical and Kurt tried to find out which was the highest step on the stairs he could still safely jump down from. He had always wanted to know but Emma would have killed him if he had tried this while she was at home. He had made it up to step six from the bottom when the doorbell rang. All of the children looked at each other. Who could that be?

"Maybe my dad finished early?" Rachel wondered.

Being the oldest, Noah got up and opened the door to reveal Quinn Fabray.

"Nice look, Puckerman!" she grinned eying his gloved hands and spotted skin.

"Ha! Ha!" the boy replied trying not to let her see how badly he was blushing.

"Why aren't you in school? You're not ill too, are you?" the boy said looking for signs of a rash.

"I'm fine. I had the pox when I was Kurt's age."

"Well, shouldn't you be at cheerleading practice then?" Puck said looking at the clock on the wall.

"Didn't your mom tell you? Practice was cancelled." she said walking into the living room.

Santana immediately tried hiding under her blanket.

"What?"

"Coach Sylvester would never cancel practice. She even held it that one time when the gym was on fire." Artie said. He had heard a lot of stories about how their neighbour had bitten a fireman who had tried to make her cheerios leave.

"Apparently something is wrong with Jean and Coach left to see her."

"Oh no!" they all loved Sue's sister and did not want anything to happen to her, but they knew for Sue to cancel practice it must be serious.

"I did not give her the pox, did I?" Kurt asked with wide eyes.

"No, ranger. You have not seen her in weeks, it does not work that way." Noah could sense his little brother's distress and picked him up to calm him.

Quinn took this opportunity to approach Santana on the couch.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you." she said softly.

"No, go away!" the latina answered from underneath the blanket.

"Please, Tana!"

Santana really did not want to talk to the cheerleader right now. She had hurt her feelings badly on the day of the football match and on top of it all she was not exactly feeling her most confident right now, running a fever and looking all spotty. She could not refuse Quinn whenever she gently called her Tana though, so she got up with a sigh and led the girl to her room for some privacy.

Puck wondered if he should allow this. He was in charge right now, wasn't he? And if it were not Quinn but a fifteen year old boy he would surely not allow him to go take his thirteen year old sister to her bedroom. But he had known Quinn for almost all his life and he still was not sure what was going on between the two girls. Why did big brothers not get a manual for situations like this? He sighed and then did the one responsible thing a brother could do in this kind of situation. He sent Kurt to spy.

The little boy sat down in front of his sister's door. He felt bad for spying on her, but at the same time he desperately wanted to know what was making her so sad and if there was anything he could do to help her.

Inside the room the two girls were sitting on Santana's bed. They were sitting further apart than was usual for them and when Quinn reached for the other girl's hand, the latina pulled hers away.

"Please don't be like this." the blonde girl pleaded.

"And what exactly would you like me to be like?"

"Like we were before…"

"You mean before you refused to acknowledge me in public? Before you humiliated me in front of your friends and broke my heart?" Santana cried.

"Yes." Quinn whispered.

"I don't want to be your dirty little secret."

"You're not… Tana… you know I love you."

"No, I don't. Nobody does."

"I can't… I can't go around and tell people you're my girlfriend. Why don't you understand?"

The latina did not respond.

"You're only thirteen. You're in middle school. You don't know what high school is like. It is hard out there. Do you know what they do to kids that they think are gay?"

Santana bit her lip, silent tears running down her face.

"I can't go through that. I'm not strong enough. And I don't want you to go through that either."

Quinn tried to run a hand through the other girl's dark hair, but Santana pulled away.

"I'm popular. I like being popular, being on top. I know Sue is gonna make me head cheerio if I work hard enough. I want to be prom queen, just like my mother. Did you know prom queen's live longer than normal people?"

Santana only snorted.

"I will be the queen, Tana. And in a few years you will understand, when you're in my place. When you're the head cheerio. I know you will be. You're already so talented and you're the most beautiful girl I know." Quinn gently traced the girl's cheek.

"I love you." Santana whispered, her voice breaking.

"I know. I love you, too. But this can't happen, not now." Both girls were crying now.

"You're ashamed of me."

"No. I'm just scared."

"So we will never have a chance?"

"Maybe… when we're in college and far away from here. But not in Lima. The first kid who enters that school and is openly gay will have to be a whole lot stronger than we are."

"Please leave." Santana whispered.

"Tana…"

"I said go." the latina pushed Quinn off her bed.

"Please…"

"GO AWAY!"

Quinn rushed out of the room and almost fell over Kurt sitting on the floor. Tears were running down her face as she hurried out of the house without saying goodbye to any of the other kids.

Kurt went into his sister's room and hugged her trembling body. She was crying so hard the whole bed was shaking with them.

"Promise me something, bro." Santana said. "Promise me you will never trust another person with your heart. They are just gonna break it and throw it back in your face."

* * *

><p><em>AN: okay, so I had a ridiculously hard time writing this chapter and I am still not happy with it, but I'm posting it now, so I can move on. I don't know what was wrong, maybe it was just writer's block, dunno. I talked to a friend about it and they told me I was letting people's comments and expectations get to me too much. Don't get me wrong, I love my reviewers and like 99.9% of the comments are great... it just makes me wonder when people complain about the focus being on Kurt too much. It's not like I didn't warn you, right?<em>

_This is and always will be a Kurt story. I can relate to him the most. Yea, so maybe that's the stereotypical gay kid speaking here. I can also relate to Emma, Puck and Santana in a lot of ways so they will be really important to the story._

_Kurt will end up with Blaine but I really don't mind people begging me for that._

_There will be no Brittana,sorry, they are sisters and they may be ridiculously close but it is completely innocent._

_Quinntana is not over, they are just the best source for drama right now and I will torture both of them endlessly._

_That being said I wanna apologise for the AVPM stuff in here, I was sick this last week and spent most of my time watching it._

_Also.. my neighbours' house was struck by lightning last week and I'm wondering if I might be responsible because I've been fanboying over all the SBL news too much.._

_*sighs*_

_this AN is way too long.._


	27. Chapter 27: Visits

Short Chapter, sorry!

* * *

><p>Kurt Hummel took a deep breath, he was scared to death and wondered how he had gotten himself into this situation. Had he really been crazy enough to volunteer? Maybe the high fever from the chicken pox had messed with his brain? Maybe it had melted away the part of his mind that was supposed to warn him and keep him away from danger. But even if that were the case, should his family not have prevented this? Were they not supposed to keep him safe from harm? He imagined they had to take some kind of vow or sign a contract that promised this, before they were allowed to take him in. He was not sure how the foster care system worked, but he thought it must be illegal to send your children on suicide missions. He took another few hesitant steps, thinking about turning around and running back home. He wanted to be back inside and play with his siblings. Why on earth had he told Emma he would do this? She had asked him about five times if he was sure. She had given him five chances to back out! And he had just nodded and told her how much he wanted this. He had wanted to make her proud, to show his family how grateful he was to them for taking him in and not getting mad when he made a lot of them ill. And now here he was, he was trembling and he was not sure if it was from the cold or his nerves. He climbed the few steps very carefully and raised one arm to ring the bell, holding his breath and praying nobody was home.<p>

When Sue Sylvester opened her door she thought it must have been a prank because she could not see anyone at first. When Sue looked down though she saw the trembling form of a small boy holding out a plate.

"Porcelain? What are you doing here?"

"We got leftover cake from Finn's birthday party." he squeaked offering her the plate. "Would you like some?"

"Come inside."

"I'm just delivering the cake." he tried shoving the plate at her again, wondering if he would be able to outrun her.

"Come in, that way you can take the plate right back to your mother."

Kurt bit his bottom lip, he knew Emma would be happy to have her plate back. She would even be able to clean it together with the others. He imagined her smiling because he brought the plate back so soon. He hesitantly stepped inside his neighbour's house. The boy looked around with wide eyes. This house was nothing like he had imagined. First of all it was much lighter, he had imagined it to be dark and scary. It was clean and actually looked kind of friendly. There were a lot of trophies standing everywhere, but in between the dozens of framed certificates that crowded the walls he spotted a lot of pictures of Sue and Jean at different ages. In the older photographs both sisters were smiling, in the newer ones it was only Jean who looked happy, Sue mostly looked concerned.

"Sit!" Sue ordered when they reached the dining room, pointing at the table and chairs.

Kurt sat down without protesting, he wanted to tell the woman that he should go back home, that his family was expecting him, he simply did not dare to say anything. Sue left for what he guessed was the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with two plates of cake. She had already cleaned Emma's plate and placed it in front of the boy, next to a plate with a piece of cake. The little boy frowned, he had already eaten two pieces of cake at home and was pretty sure he could not eat another one. But again he did not dare to tell the woman so he smiled politely and whispered a "thank you".

"Would you like some coffee with that?" Sue asked.

"Uhm... I'm eight..."

"Did I ask how old you were?"

"I don't drink coffee."

"The only other stuff I have around are sports drinks and I have already mixed some placenta in them."

Kurt was not sure what this meant but he thought he probably did not want to try the drink and politely declined. They ate in silence for a few minutes and it did not feel as uncomfortable as one would imagine, but Kurt soon felt like there should be some kind of talk.

"How is aunt Jeanie?" the little boy asked.

Sue looked at the little boy, she knew her sister really cared for him. They had played a lot together over Christmas. So maybe it should not be that surprising that the child cared about Jean as well.

"She is still in hospital." she answered looking down at her plate.

"Is she going to be ok?" tears were shining in the little boy's eyes.

"I don't know." Sue was fighting tears herself now. She simply could not allow herself to show feelings in front of someone who was not Jean, even if it was only a child.

Kurt looked at his neighbour. Suddenly the woman did not appear to be quite so scary. She actually looked pretty scared herself. She reminded him of his daddy and the way he looked when Kurt's mommy had been in hospital and nobody knew how to help her. The boy got up from his chair and walked over to Sue.

"What are you doing?" the woman asked looking confused.

"Can I hug you?" Kurt asked.

"Why would you want to hug me?" Sue wondered if this was some kind of prank.

"Cause you need it."

Before Sue could reply the little boy wrapped his arms around her. The tall blonde hesitated for a moment but then she gently hugged the child back.

"Thank you." she said when the boy let go.

"You can share it with Jean when you go to visit her."

"I'm sure she'd love that."

When they finished the cake Sue led the boy back outside.

"Tell your mother the cake was lovely, I'm surprised she can still bake in that house when her husband is using all the butter for his hair - and tell your father that glee club sucks."

Kurt nodded, he would definitely only pass on half of that message.

"Oh and Porcelain? Tell Frankenteen happy birthday."

The boy smiled and skipped back home.

* * *

><p>Back at the Schuester household everyone was still busy cleaning up after yesterday's party. Finn and Noah had gone overboard with the confetti and they would spend months finding it everywhere, especially since Lord Tubbington loved playing with it so much, he had also eaten a fair amount. Matt was over to help his friends and their talk soon turned to football. Santana left the room with a huff. Ever since her fight with Quinn she hated listening to the jocks' friendly banter or the discussions about which cheerleader was the prettiest - Quinn always won those. At the party she had done her best to avoid the blonde girl and when that did not work she had openly flirted with some of her brothers' team mates. Both her brothers and Quinn had watched her with concern. Finn and Puck had gone as far as to warn all the football players not to mess with their baby sister. The girl just was not herself anymore, she had always been sassy, but lately a lot of her comments could be just outright mean. Kurt thought about following his sister, but he knew she would not want to talk. He had tried everything he could, nothing had helped to lessen her pain.<p>

Instead he grabbed one of his arts and crafts kits and sat down at the dining table. He started assembling the most beautiful beads and putting them on a string. Artie and his friend Tina soon joined him.

"What are you doing, bro?"

"I'm making a necklace for auntie Jean." he answered.

"Oh t-t-that's nice." Tina smiled, helping him choose some more beads that suited his colour scheme.

They worked silently together and had soon finished a very beautiful necklace. Kurt admired his work for about a minute and then began working on another one.

"Wh-wh-who is this one f-for?" asked Tina.

"This one is for Coach Sue."

"You're making a necklace for Sue Sylvester?" Artie was more than surprised, he had thought his little brother was scared to death of the woman.

"Yes. She is very lonely. I think she is a bit like grandma Victoria, but with less beautiful skin."

"Don't let her hear that." Artie grinned.

"I just want to make her smile until auntie Jean is well enough to do it."

"T-t-that's very sweet of you." Tina hugged the boy.

An hour later the little boy tiptoed back to his neighbour's house. This time he was a lot less scared. He placed a small parcel on the doorstep and rang the bell. When he heard footsteps he turned around and ran home.

Sue Sylvester visited her sister in hospital the next day. Jean was pale and weak, they both knew she did not have a whole lot of time left. When Sue gave her the necklace and showed her that she was wearing a very similar one the older woman beamed. Seeing her sister so happy warmed Sue's heart. They took some pictures together because Jean insisted they looked like models. When Jean got tired they watched her favourite movie and cuddled on the hospital bed. Sue Sylvester wondered how she could thank a little boy for making her sister so happy.

Jean Sylvester died peacefully in her sleep just one week later.

* * *

><p><em>AN:<em>

_Don't hate me!_

_Also, I know this chapter is shorter than the usual ones, but had to get this out before some other stuff that is going to happen in the next 2 chapters and I thought Jean deserved that I break off here._

_Special shout out goes to xMischiefManaged013 who thought this story didn't have enough reviews and reviewed every single chapter in one day! You made little Kurt very happy, he told me to send you some of his best hugs!_


	28. Chapter 28: Funeral

It was a normal working day for Will Schuester, he was standing in the teacher's lounge having another shouting match with Sue Sylvester. Will did not know why the cheerleading coach hated the New Directions so much. Okay, the principal had taken away some of her Cheerio's funding and given it to the choir, but it was so little, she probably would not even have noticed. However Sue never tired of sabotaging the glee club wherever she could. Today she had been especially creative and released two live skunks in the choir room. The man wondered if it was anything personal, had he or any other member of his family ever done anything to make the woman hate them so much? Had any of the glee kids bothered her? While he was still deep in thought he managed to only catch half of Sue's last sentence, something about banning all arts education from public schools and preparing students for the dull lives that lay ahead of them.

"See, that's what I don't get about you, Sue. How can you hate performing arts so much? I know you watch musicals with your sister all the time. I know you even sing together. Jean loves songs, they make her happy!"

"Jean died yesterday." Sue replied, her face expressionless.

"Oh my God! Oh God… Sue… I'm so sorry."

"Well, if there's nothing more for us to discuss I'll leave now. I have a meeting with the Mothers Against Performing Arts group later and I also have a funeral to plan."

"Sue… if there's anything we can do to help you… you know we all loved Jean." Will ran his hands through his hair unsure of what to do or say at this moment.

"I know, Jean was impossible not to love." Sue turned and left without another word.

When the father informed his family that evening everyone was beyond shocked. Emma, Brittany and Kurt started sobbing and all the other children got very pale and quiet. Even Santana finally showed a different emotion than anger for a change, even though it only lasted very briefly.

"This is completely unfair!" the latina yelled.

Puck reached for her hand and she allowed him to hold it, silent tears ran down both their faces.

"Is there anything we can do for Sue?" Emma asked.

"I asked her, she didn't reply. I think she wants to be left alone."

"Nobody should be left alone at a time like this." Sam whispered. Everyone agreed.

"We'll think of something." Emma said. "When is the funeral?"

"I don't think there is a date yet. It didn't seem like she'd started planning yet."

While the family was still discussing ways to help Artie had moved his wheelchair close to their porch exit. He waved for Kurt to follow him. The little boy untangled himself from Brittany's bone-crushing hug and followed quietly.

"Where are we going?" the younger one asked when they were outside.

"I think you and I should go visit Sue." Artie replied

"On our own?" Kurt was not quite as scared of the woman anymore, but that did not mean he wanted to be alone with her again.

"Yes, just you and me."

"Why us?"

"Cause I think out of everyone we are the ones who understand what she is feeling right now. You and me bro, we know what it's like to lose someone… to lose the person that meant the world to you."

Kurt swallowed audibly and looked at his older brother with tears in his eyes. Artie was right, if anyone knew what Sue was going through right now, it was the two youngest Schuester kids. The blue-eyed boy nodded at his brother and the two of them made their way to the Sylvester house.

Sue was surprised when she opened her door to find the two small boys. She had expected Emma to come over sooner or later, maybe to try out some of her best pamphlet slogans. She also thought that Will was probably not quite finished with his comforting speeches. Oh and that Berry girl from down the road was probably already preparing a moving ballad of some kind. The boys were definitely unexpected visitors. She was so surprised she did not even try to send them away, instead she helped to move Artie's wheelchair into the house.

"Wheels, Porcelain, what brings you here?" she questioned once they were inside.

"We want to help you." Artie replied.

"All of our family does." Kurt piped up.

"Yes, but us two especially."

"Why you? What's so special about you?"

"We know what it feels like to lose the most important person in the world… to lose a piece of your heart." Artie croaked, tears shining in his eyes.

"We both lost our parents and we all loved Jean. Please, we want to help."

Sue looked at the two children. She could not help but be moved by their words. She pointed at four large boxes in her living room.

"That's all of Jean's belongings, would you help me sort through them?"

The boys nodded and they silently began to work. They made one box for things Sue wanted to keep, one box for the trash and a last one for things she could donate back to the home Jean had spent most of her life in. The boys were shocked to discover that the woman really did not intend to keep very much.

"I have every memory of my sister in my head." Sue explained. "I don't need this stuff to remember her by."

Kurt was even more surprised that when he held up the necklace he had made for Jean, Sue asked him to put it in the box for keeping. He could not suppress a small gasp.

"She loved that necklace. Giving it to her was the last time I saw her truly happy. She thought she looked like a model." Sue smiled at the memory while Kurt began to cry.

The cheerleading coach surprised both boys and herself when she pulled the little one in for a hug.

"Thank you." she whispered.

The doorbell rang at that moment and Sue opened it to find Will.

"It appears I'm missing two of my children." the man stated with a small smile.

Sue opened the door and ushered him inside. The teacher was surprised to find his two sons sorting through Jean's belongings. If it had not been for the tracks of Artie's wheels on the wet ground he would have never thought of looking for them here. And the woman actually seemed glad to have them.

"I have spoken to Emma, Sue. We really want to help you with the funeral. We want to help with the reception, Emma is really great at organising stuff like that. And my children would love to sing for Jean at the service."

Sue Sylvester did not trust her voice enough to respond vocally, so she simply nodded. The man offered her a hug and she accepted.

"I am really proud of you guys." Will said when he walked his children home.

* * *

><p>Kurt did not sleep at all during the night before the funeral. He was beyond nervous. He hated funerals and was really not looking forward to going to the cemetery and then his foster father had actually given him a big solo in the song they were dedicating to Jean in the service. He had not sung in front of a real audience in all his life and he knew he really could not mess this up, he owed it to Jean and to Sue.<p>

The service was held in a small church not far from their homes. Their was a large portrait of Jean next to the altar and everything had been decorated according to the theme of her favourite movie "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". Sue tried to hold a speech, but her tears soon won and Will had to take over for her. Then the Schuester kids and their friends got up and moved to the front.

"This song was Jean's favourite." Finn said.

To everyone's surprise Tina spoke the first words and did not even stutter once:

_Hold your breath_

_Make a wishCount to three_

Then Kurt began to sing with the voice of an angel:

_Come with me_

_And you'll be_

_In a world of_

_Pure imagination_

Finn took over the next lines:

_Take a look_

_And you'll see_

_Into your imagination_

Then Tina sang:

_We'll begin_

_With a spin_

_Travelling in_

_T__he world of my creation_

Artie continued:

_What we'll see_

_Will defy_

_Explanation_

All of the kids sang:

_If you want to view paradise_

_Simply look around and view it_

_Anything you want to, do it_

_Want to change the world?_

Kurt:

_There's nothing_

_To it_

Tina:

_There is no_

_Life I know_

_To compare with_

_Pure imagination_

Kurt:

_Living there_

_You'll be free_

_If you truly wish to be_

Together:

_If you want to view paradise_

_Simply look around and view it_

_Anything you want to, do it_

_Want to change the world?_

_There's nothingTo it_

Then Kurt and Artie finished the song, tears shining in their eyes:

_There is no_

_Life I know_

_To compare with_

_Pure imagination_

_Living there_

_You'll be free_

_If you truly_

_Wish to be_

Sue cried as Will held her in his arms. After the service she thanked all of the children. Then it was time to leave for the cemetery.

Kurt really hated this part. He had only ever been to two funerals in his life before. The first one had been for his mother. It had been a cold, yet sunny day and his father had dressed him in his finest clothes. He had held his daddy's hand the whole time and the man had told him it was okay to cry. Watching his mother's casket being lowered into the ground had been a painful and traumatic experience, but somehow holding his father's hand had made it all better. He had believed that these hands would be there to keep him safe and support him for the rest of his life. His father's funeral had taken place only a few months later. It had been early June and it was hot but rainy. His clothes had not been nearly as nice as they had been for his mother's funeral. He had had no parent to hold his hand that day, only a social worker had been there to accompany him. She had kept her hands on his small shoulders but he had never felt so alone in all his life.

Now Kurt Hummel was standing in a cemetery for the third time in a year. He was standing between Emma and Santana holding tightly onto their hands. He could not keep his mind from racing, three people he loved had died in such a short time. For seven years he had lived in a happy little bubble and then it had burst and now people just kept dieing. What if Jean had not been the last one? Who would be next? The little boy did not think he would survive losing another family member. He began to panic and hyperventilate. Tears were running down his face, so he could not see. He was scared and wanted nothing more than to leave this place, the place that took his loved ones from him. He let go of his sister's hand and clutched Emma's blouse.

„Mommy, please take me away from here. Please, take me home." he begged.

Emma was shocked. Her son had just called her mommy for the very first time. She had dreamed of this moment, but in those dreams it had always been a happy occasion. In her dreams the child had been smiling. Right now her little boy was nothing but a sobbing mess and he was definitely breathing way to fast. She lifted the child into her arms and rubbed his back.

„Shhh… it's okay. We can go. Please don't cry, baby."

She carried the boy to her car. Puck, Santana and Brittany followed, while the rest of her family stayed with Sue. She managed to calm the boy down enough so he would let go of her for the ride. He clung to Santana instead while Brittany gently rubbed circles on his back. Puck tried to lighten the mood with some jokes, but the boy did not appear to even hear those. When they arrived at home Kurt had exhausted himself, so she put him right to bed. He asked her to stay with him until he fell asleep and she did, holding her youngest and telling him just how much he was loved and how many people cared about him. His big family, the glee club and their friends would always be there for him.

When Will and the other kids got home they were greeted by Noah and the girls, Emma and Kurt were fast asleep. The man decided not to wake them up and took his children over to the reception in Sue's house alone. Everything had been prepared beautifully, Emma had outdone herself once again.

* * *

><p>Two weeks later the family was sitting down for dinner when the phone rang. Will answered it and went to the living room, talking in a very serious tone. Emma and the children could not make out what was being said, but they knew it must be really important. After about ten minutes the man called for his wife. The two adults were discussing something for about fifteen minutes. Again the children could not make out any words. Then the parents seemed to have come to a decision. Will gave a nod and then left the house.<p>

„What's going on, mom?" Finn asked.

„I can't tell you just yet, kids. Your dad has gone to have a very serious talk with Sue."

„About what?"


	29. Chapter 29: Plans

_AN: I'm on a roll! haha_

* * *

><p>When Will returned to the house more than an hour later, he gave a simple nod in Emma's direction, causing his wife to smile.<p>

"What's going on?" several of the children asked at once.

"I can't tell you yet. You will find out soon, okay?"

Of course for the kids this was not okay at all, in fact it was completely unacceptable! They spent all evening trying to find out what had happened, but their parents refused to say a single word. They finally all met up in Artie's room where they huddled together to discuss the situation.

"So what do you guys think is going on?" Finn asked.

"I don't know, but it must be serious. Did you guys see dad's face during that phone call?" Puck added.

"So it's serious and it's about Sue." Artie summed up.

"Maybe she finally managed to ban the glee club." Sam guessed.

"No, dad would've been furious. He would've never been able to hide it from us." Santana said.

"Maybe Sue is moving in with us." Brittany stated and all of her siblings looked at her in shock.

"You mean we're adopting her?" Finn squeaked.

"She's a little old for that." Puck said shaking his head at his older brother.

"But what if the call came from Jean's home and there's lots of unpaid bills? What if Sue can't pay and that's why she has to come live with us?" Artie piped up.

"Then you're getting yourself a roommate." Santana replied and everyone giggled at the boy's shocked expression.

"We don't have any space left and Sue is really tall." Brittany said. "Now we'll never get a puppy."

Kurt had been sitting quietly in Santana's lap, listening to his siblings' thoughts, but they really did not make much sense to him.

"But… mommy smiled…" he said.

The older kids exchanged a grin at hearing him use the word mommy to refer to Emma again. They knew that after the funeral Kurt had asked the mother if it was okay to call her that and she had told him she could not be more honoured.

"What do you mean, ranger?" Puck asked.

"Mommy smiled, it can't have been anything bad."

"Kurt's right." Finn said.

"Was she happy for Sue or for us?" Artie asked.

"If it's something to make Sue happy we're back to glee club getting banned." Sam said.

"Maybe it's about Jean's will. Maybe we're getting everything and Sue gets nothing." Noah wondered.

"Jean wasn't rich, Puck." Santana said.

"Oh… okay… then it's about glee club."

"Or maybe the cheerios." Brittany said.

"That could be it. I heard they were doing some pretty dangerous stunts at their last competition." Finn said.

"Well they better not ban cheerleading before Brit and I had our chance." Santana hissed.

"We could ask Quinn." Sam said, earning himself a glare from his sister. "Or not."

"Okay, so basically we've managed to establish that we know nothing." Artie summed things up.

Everyone sighed and then Emma came to tell them that Kurt and Artie should be getting ready for bed. All of the kids went to sleep wondering about what could possibly be happening. Some dreamed of Sue moving in with them, or them moving in with the blonde coach. Some dreamed about glee club or cheerios being banned from school. Puck dreamed of Sue giving his dad a mohawk like his little brother had done with him and Kurt dreamed about Sue inheriting Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, which had been secretly owned by Jean for years. She made them all work there with her Oompa Loompas. Kurt did not really mind, because he was still with his family and he loved chocolate.

* * *

><p>Nothing happened on the next day and the kids were getting really antsy. Everyone went to work or school like usual. The older kids kept a close eye one their parents and Sue, they even got Quinn to watch out for anything unusual during cheerio practice, but there were no hints at all. By night they were already wondering if they had imagined it all.<p>

The next morning was a Saturday and when the Schuester kids got up for their usual routine of breakfast and cartoons they were greeted by their mother alone.

"Where's dad?" Finn asked.

"He had to go help Sue with something."

"Like what?" Santana asked

"It's a surprise, you'll find out soon enough."

"Does it have anything to do with my birthday?" Puck asked. His birthday was coming up in just ten days and with everything that had been going on lately they had not even started planning anything yet.

"No, Noah. We should really start planning that though. Why don't we all sit together and talk about that."

The children wanted to protest, they really just wanted to know what was going on between their dad and their neighbour, but they knew they could not do that to their brother. Puck deserved a great party and they should really start working on it. Emma just thought this was the perfect way to distract them.

"Okay Noah, have you thought of any presents you'd like yet?"

"Uhm…" the boy really had not thought about it yet. "I could use some new strings for my guitar."

"You can have some of mine." Sam piped up, but Emma interrupted him.

"Honey, you can get those strings whenever you want, you know how your dad and I support your talents wherever we can. You should think of something special for your birthday. You only turn fifteen once!"

Puck wondered why his mother sounded so excited about a fifteenth birthday. It really was not that special, was it? He always loved his birthdays, the parties and the presents, but fifteen just felt like this stupid filler birthday that you had to get out of the way before you could turn sixteen. Now turning sixteen was really cool. Sixteen was like almost grown up and you got to drive and everything. Now that gave the boy an idea.

"Well, I was wondering.. Since Finn and I will both be fifteen and that's like almost sixteen and we really need to prepare for that and everything and I mean our birthdays are in the winter where the weather is bad and the roads are dangerous… and uhm… maybe we could start early… uhm…"

"Honey, what are you trying to say?"

"Would you and dad give us driving lessons?" the boy asked in a small voice.

"Oh. Well, yes.. I guess… I mean... yes of course we will." Emma stuttered. She really had not thought about this yet. Her babies would be old enough to drive soon! For the mother that meant they were old enough to get into horrible accidents, like worrying about them on the football field was not bad enough! Now she would have to start worrying about her boys being maimed by steal killing machines. She really did not want to think about that and she already felt that as soon as those boys were going to be driving on their own every single phone call would put her in a state of panic. And what was even worse? She suddenly realised that her babies were growing up. Emma pulled Kurt onto her lap and cuddled him. "I will talk to your father about it, okay?"

"Yes! Great!" Finn and Puck both beamed.

"Any other ideas for presents?"

"Well… I know I already got the acoustic and all, but do you think I could get an electric guitar?"

Emma winced and thought about telling her son that he could have it as soon as they got a sound proof basement. She already regretted the drum kit they had given to Finn.

"I'll discuss it with your father." she said instead. "What about the party?"

"I wondered if we could have it somewhere else." Noah said.

"Why? Where?" his siblings asked.

"I dunno. We had so many house parties lately, we had Santana's birthday and the twins'. Quinn had a house party at her place for her birthday. Then we had Christmas and New Year's, then Finn had this really cool party here. I don't wanna bore people with my party. Rachel's birthday is coming up soon, too, I know she wants to celebrate in her dads' special party basement. Kurt and Artie are lucky, it will be warm for their birthdays so we can have garden parties and barbecues. I just thought maybe my party could be a little different." the boy looked down.

"I think that's a lovely idea." Emma said, causing her son to smile. "What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe we could have it at the arcade in the mall? Or a bowling alley?"

Emma grinned, this was the perfect thing to keep her children occupied and not wondering about their dad and Sue the whole time.

"Okay, let's work on this. Everyone write down ideas for possible venues and then we can start phoning places."

The kids cheered and immediately began a heated discussion about possible locations. Most of the ideas were way too unrealistic and had to be dismissed. And even though Kurt took his time describing the wonders of the animal kingdom he could not convince his older brother to have his fifteenth birthday party at a zoo. Emma was forced to destroy all dreams of Disneyland soon after that.

"Try thinking local, please!" she said.

As was normal on a Saturday Rachel, Mike, Tina and Mercedes all stopped by, joining the hunt for the perfect party location. Mercedes pouted and gave a tiny diva tantrum when she heard the idea of having it at the zoo had already been dismissed. Emma promised the little ones that she would take them to the zoo as soon as it was getting warmer. The only one missing was Quinn and they all knew that was because she and Santana were still avoiding each other. They hoped the girls would be able to solve their problems soon, they missed the blonde cheerleader.

"Why don't we have it at the auditorium?" Rachel asked.

"You mean at school?"

"Yes, we could even perform there. We could put on a whole show."

"Rachel, most of my guests will be on the football team, they don't want to watch you put on a musical." Puck explained. "Besides, I don't think I wanna spend my birthday at school."

"Well, that rules out the gym." Finn said, crossing something out on his list.

They spent another full hour eliminating possibilities and in the end it came down to the bowling alley and a roller skating rink, which Mike had suggested. Emma phoned both places, the bowling alley could not be booked at such short notice, but the rink actually seemed happy to have them.

The kids were still busy celebrating when they heard a car pull up in their driveway.

"Dad and Coach Sue are back!" Artie piped up.

They all looked at each other and then ran outside. They were beyond curious right now.

When they got to their front door it was just in time to watch Will and Sue exit the car. Then Sue moved to the back of the car and helped someone else step out. It was a small blonde girl.

"Hey everyone." Will greeted. "We would like to introduce you to somebody." He motioned for Sue and the little girl to step closer. "This is Rebecca."

All of the kids just stared at the girl, trying to process what was happening. Were they getting yet another sibling?

"But… we don't have any more room…" Brittany uttered, already wondering if the girl was small enough to share Lord Tubbington's bed.

"We don't need room for her honey." Will supplied.

"Becky is my foster daughter." Sue added.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks to everyone for the great reviews! You guys rock and you made me blush, haha!<em>

_I know i worry way too much about what people post or message me, but this is my first and only story and I'm really not a writer. I just have this idea in my head and it needs to get out. I have way too much imagination._

_I'm writing without a beta cuz if anyone criticized the story before it went up you'd never get to see any of it. _

_I keep forgetting to answer people's questions, so here's a few answers to FAQs:_

_- I'm a boy and I'll be turning 17 in September. I don't have any personal info on my account cuz I don't want it to influence people's thoughts about the story._

_- I don't have a posting schedule, I just post stuff as soon as it's done. Again, if I thought too long about it you'd never get to see it._

_- Kurt's birthday is May 27th, it fits the timeline and is easy to remember :)_

_- right now the story is set in late February/early March_

_- SBL is Struck by Lightning, Chris Colfer's movie_

_Hope that answers some questions_

_So thanks again, Little Kurt hugs to all of you!_


	30. Chapter 30: Bonds

_Sorry for the long wait! _

* * *

><p>Noah sat on the steps of the porch and watched Kurt, Mercedes and Becky playing in the garden. He was not quite sure what the goal of the game was supposed to be, but it involved a lot of running around and the girls dancing around the small boy, which Puck thought made his little brother look totally badass. He laughed as Kurt was telling the girls they had messed up his choreography again, using a tone he could have only learned from one Rachel Berry. The girls did not complain but instead eagerly started their routine again, both concentrating so hard they were biting their tongues. The teenager wanted to smile but somehow watching the three little ones made him sad, he felt like he had this hole in his chest, like a part of him was missing, but before he could even try to pinpoint it his father sat down next to him.<p>

"You're missing your little sister, huh?" Will said.

Puck nodded. Yes, that was it. His sister was the part of him he was missing. Every year around the time of his birthday he began to wonder about this little girl he had not seen since she was a baby. He had never seen her walk or heard her talk. Was she playing somewhere right now? Running around and laughing like the three little ones in his garden? Was she happy? Was she safe? Did she miss him, too? Did she even know he exists? He sighed.

Will watched his son get lost in his thoughts. He knew the boy missed his family, especially his little sister and he knew it usually got worse during holidays and around the time of his birthday. They had tried to contact Mrs. Puckerman several times, asking for phone calls or letters, maybe some photos, but they never got a reply. The only positive thing they held onto was the fact that the pictures of Noah that they sent her were not returned. They did not know if she had thrown them away or locked them in a hidden drawer, they just hoped that she had looked at them, seen what a great man her little boy was growing up to be and that just maybe her daughter got to see her older brother.

Will wrapped an arm around his son and squeezed his shoulder, the boy smiling up at him through tears he would never allow to spill. When Becky tripped and stumbled close to the porch the boy quickly got up and helped her to her feet.

"Thank you!" the tiny blonde beamed.

The father grinned, it was obvious the girl had developed crushes on both Puck and Finn.

Everyone was amazed at how quickly Becky had adapted to her new environment. Nobody more so than Will. When he had first received the phone call telling him about this little girl who had just lost her mother he had felt sad, he knew there was no way they could take in yet another child, especially not one with special needs like Becky. When the social worker had kept talking about how difficult it was to find a home that would know how to deal with such a child he had suddenly thought of Sue. The cheerleading coach was an expert on down syndrome, not only had she grown up around her sister never thinking her to be any different, but she had taken a lot of time educating herself and Will knew she was still very much involved with the home Jean had spent her last years in, helping wherever she could. When he had first told Sue about his idea she had almost kicked him out of her house. She had been furious, thinking he was asking her to simply replace her sister. In the end she had listened to him and the more she learned about this little girl she knew they could not just leave her in a home where the other children were sure to be cruel to her. When they had gone to visit the home it had been love at first sight between the woman and the girl, everything had just fit and the woman many people could not imagine even had a soul became a mother. Becky was ten years old, like Artie and Tina, but since she was a little behind in both her physical and her mental development it was decided to send her to school with Kurt and Mercedes, who had immediately taken up the responsibility of showing her around and explaining things to her.

"Becky! It's time for dinner!" Sue's voice called across the fence.

"I'm coming, Coach!" the girl replied and hugged her friends goodbye.

Many people might think it strange that the blonde called her foster mother coach instead of mom, but for the two of them it seemed to be the most normal thing in the world.

Kurt and Mercedes ran to the porch and tackled Noah, starting a tickling battle that left all three of them out of breath.

"Okay kids, go and clean up. Dinner is almost ready. You're eating with us today, right Mercedes?" Will asked, earning himself an excited nod from the little girl who seemed to be attached to Kurt all the time.

Puck and Will watched the two children grab each others hands and race to the bathroom, the father not missing the smile on his son's face.

"You're great around kids, son, they just seem to take an instant liking to you. You're a wonderful brother and one day you will make an awesome father."

He watched his son wince and knew the doubts that were plaguing him.

"You're nothing like your biological father, Noah. You never will be. Your siblings here already know that and one day your little sister will know as well. I promise."

Will pulled the boy up into a hug and they went inside with their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders.

* * *

><p>In the bathroom Mercedes was enjoying her alone time with Kurt, allowing him to show her the new hand lotion they got and how soft it made your hands. She liked Becky and she did not mind playing with her, just like she did not mind Artie or Tina joining in on their little games, but Kurt was hers and she made sure everybody knew that. You could only have one best friend and in that regard Kurt was definitely taken. No matter how often her grandmother reminded her that jealousy was not an attractive trait, the girl could see nothing wrong with staking her claim on a boy that had already agreed to marry her. The two children completely forgot the time and Brittany had to go get them for dinner.<p>

"Wow, your hands are really soft!" she gasped when she led them to the table.

* * *

><p>On the morning of his fifteenth birthday Puck woke to a series of giggles and snickers in his room. Without opening his eyes he knew his whole family was gathered around his bed, waiting for him to wake up. He knew they would start singing the very second he would open his eyes and decided to torture them just a little bit longer. After another minute he felt a sharp kick to his shins.<p>

"Come on, Puckerman! We know you're awake." Santana said.

"Hmm?" Puck pretended to be waking up and yawned dramatically, stretching his arms over his head.

_Happy Birthday to you!_

_Happy Birthday to you!_

_Happy Birthday, dear Noah!_

_Happy Birthday to you!_

The whole family sang and smiled and even though Puck tried to look as cool as possible he could not hide his grin, he secretly loved this tradition and was usually the first to sneak into his siblings' rooms on their birthdays.

"Happy Birthday!" Kurt and Brittany shouted, pouncing on their brother who was barely able to keep some critical parts of his body out of harm's way.

"Thank you." he smiled hugging them back and failing at not blushing over all the attention.

"Mazltov!" Emma smiled while carrying in the cake. She placed a warm kiss to his cheek before helping Sam distribute the plates.

The whole family sat on or around the boy's bed, making sure he knew this was his special day. Noah enjoyed the cake, the smiles, the congratulations and most of all the love he felt coming from all of them. He ate two large pieces of cake before carefully lifting Kurt off his bladder and asking for a bathroom break. When he returned it was time to open his presents, he was not able to hide the tears when he realised his parents had really bought him the electric guitar, along with spare strings. Kurt gave him a very colourful selection of guitar picks and a drawing of all of the siblings as a rock band, Puck was in the centre with his brand new blue guitar.

"Thanks, ranger." he smiled hugging the little boy.

The other kids got him sports stuff and Cds and he thanked all of them. Lastly it was Finn's turn. The tall boy leaned over to hug his brother before giving him his present.

"Open it carefully, it's breakable." he warned.

Puck gave his brother a confused look, Finn really was not the type to give breakable presents - just as Puck was not the type to receive them. He had no idea what this present could be, he only hoped it was not another porcelain unicorn, Brittany had gotten him one of those two years ago. He carefully unwrapped the weirdly shaped present and soon found himself looking at the world's ugliest piggy bank. It was a bright green pig with flowers all over it.

"Uhm… thanks?" he tried to sound as grateful as possible, not wanting to hurt his brother's feelings especially since Finn was still grinning at him.

"It's a special piggy bank for both of us." Finn explained_. _"I thought if we both put some cash in it whenever we can… and mom and dad promised they would put some in for our birthdays and Christmas and maybe even for really good grades…" he looked back at Will and Emma who both smiled and nodded at the comment, then beamed and continued "… it will get us that much closer to our first car."

"This is for a car? Our own car? You want us to get a car together?" Puck asked and Finn nodded excitedly after each question. A huge grin appeared on Noah's face. "I love you, bro!"

"Yay!" Finn squealed and tackled his brother.

The family smiled at the two boys, even though Emma's smile seemed a bit forced, she still could not help but feel scared at the prospect of her babies driving.

"You better know you will have to drive us around." Santana pouted.

"Sure." both boys grinned, not convincing their siblings at all.

"I call shotgun!" Sam tried, but the boys told him he could only sit up front when one of them was not coming along. He thought about it for a minute and was still happy about being the first to think of calling shotgun, which only gave Santana another reason to pout, she seemed to be in a particularly foul mood today.

They spent the rest of the morning playing video games, listening to Puck's new Cds and joking around. Noah and Finn found themselves dreaming about what kind of car they were going to get quite a lot.

"A safe one." Will told them. "Nothing crazy. The final decision lies with me and your mom."

"After a light lunch they began to get ready for the party at the roller skating rink.

Kurt stood in front of his closet having a crisis. What on earth did one wear to their brother's birthday party at a roller skating rink? What exactly was a roller skating rink anyways? He knew there would be music and a lot of older kids from his brothers' school. He knew they would all get to ride around on roller-skates, something Kurt had never tried or even thought of doing before. So it was a kind of sporty event, which required stretchy clothing. Their was also a high possibility he might fall down and get dirty, which required old or at least easily washable clothes. On the other hand this was a party and he really wanted to look good. He chewed on his bottom lip and whined_._

"Mommy!" he yelled.

"What's wrong, honey?" Emma asked, having rushed to his room thinking he might have hurt himself.

"I have nothing to wear!" he pouted.

"Kurtie, you have lots of clothes."

"No, I don't! All of my clothes suck!" he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

Emma tried not to laugh at the little boy getting all dramatic.

"Any ideas on how I might help you?" she asked instead.

"Can I call Mercedes and ask what she is wearing?"

"Honey, you already called her twice today."

"But I bet her outfit changed. What if we end up wearing clashing colours!" he gasped.

"I'm pretty sure Mercedes would have called you if she thought about changing that much."

"Yeah… but I still don't have anything to wear!" How could his mother not understand the seriousness of this situation? This was his very first party outside of the family home!

Emma sighed.

"Okay, how about this. I give you fifteen minutes to run around the house and raid any closet you can get your hands on. If you see something you like, you ask your siblings if you can borrow it, then we meet back here."

The small boy cocked his head, appearing deep in thought.

"Time starts now." before Emma had even finished the sentence her son had disappeared. She laughed and headed to the girls' room to help Santana and Brittany with their hair, she still did not quite trust her blonde daughter with the curling iron.

Twenty minutes later the mother returned to Kurt's and Sam's room, but only the older boy was there. Where could the little one be? It was not like he had a lot of clothes to choose from, his siblings' clothes were all far too big for him. She went out into the hall calling for her youngest child. The little boy finally appeared, obviously coming from the cellar where she kept all of the kids' old clothes. He was dressed in a pair of skinny jeans that she thought had belonged to Santana at some point, a dark blue long sleeve and on top of that a purple t-shirt that was covered in neon coloured sun glasses and that had definitely been Brittany's.

That is the perfect outfit to go roller-skating in." she told him and he beamed at her.

"Artie said the same thing!"

Emma grinned, she was definitely raising a future diplomat with that boy.

"Okay, let's hurry up then. Noah's guests will be arriving soon. We don't want to be late."

"Fashionably late!" Kurt corrected her.

"Not even that." she smiled.

* * *

><p>The family finally arrived at the skating rink, wondering why they had not gone to check this place out before the party.<p>

"What if it stinks?" Puck asked when they were all standing outside.

"It won't. Let's think positive!" Will replied. "We will go in there and we will all have as much fun as we can! Deal?"

"Deal." Emma and the children echoed.

Will, being their leader went ahead, but before he had even taken three steps inside he was stopped by a surprised voice calling to him.

"Oh my God! I can't believe it. Will Schuester? Is that you?"

A tiny blonde woman stumbled towards him.

"April Rhodes?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry for the long wait. I don't know why this was so ridiculously hard to write. Actually writing it wasn't even that hard.. starting it was! Once I started writing it was fine.<em>

_I guess I'm overthinking stuff again._

_Next chapter: Puck's party and lotsa drama..hehe_


	31. Chapter 31: Rhodes

_AN: Please fasten your seat belts, I jumped around a lot in this one._

* * *

><p>Emma Schuester was helping her youngest son put on his roller-skates while sneaking looks that could kill across the room, on the other side of it a tiny, blonde - and obviously drunk - woman was openly flirting with her husband. The woman had introduced herself as April Rhodes, the owner of this place and apparently the star of Will's high school dreams. Emma was not the type to hate on people, she thought of herself as a very calm, collected and mild-mannered person, but she really did not like this woman. She had only met her about five minutes ago, but the blonde was already a close second (right behind he child-snatching bitch Terri and just before the kid who worked at the drugstore checkout and who's gum she kept stepping in) on her list of people that she would not warn of approaching busses. She had almost draped herself around Will when she said hello, had openly flirted with her two oldest -yet still clearly underage- sons, ruffled Sam's and Artie's hair and told Emma's daughters they could easily get away with skirts that were quite a few inches shorter, unless they were trying to "smuggle" things out of shops. The mother had barely been able to prevent her from biting Kurt's "rosy apple cheeks". Who knew what kind of diseases this woman carried, even though her breath could probably be used as a disinfectant.<p>

"Mommy, you're growling." Kurt commented, ripping her from her thoughts.

"I'm not growling, honey."

"You so were! You sounded like Marge Simpson!" Sam piped up.

"Why don't you help you brother practice a little?" Emma changed the subject. "The other guests will be here soon, as well as the big surprise."

"Can you tell us about the surprise now?" Artie asked, making sure Puck was not within hearing distance.

"No, you'll have to have just a little more patience."

She helped the boys get onto the rink and watched them skate away, Kurt and Sam clutching onto the back of Artie's chair for support. She looked around and saw Noah standing by the door, waiting for his guests to arrive, Finn was raiding a snack machine and the girls were flirting with a spotty teenage boy who was giving out the rental skates. Will was still talking to April, who appeared to be holding a different drink every time Emma looked over. The ginger really did not want to go and join that conversation and briefly pondered getting some skates of her own, even though the thought of wearing shoes somebody else had exercised in before repulsed her. Luckily she was saved by the arrival of her son's guests. Marcus Jones and his little sister were the first and Emma busied herself helping Mercedes with her skates. When she finished and the little girl had happily joined her best friend skating, Rachel Berry arrived, the girl had of course brought her own pair of roller skates and lectured Emma on the importance of hygiene. Who did she think she was talking to?

More and more guests arrived. Most of them were high school kids, a lot of them either footballers or cheerleaders, but Puck was a good brother and had also invited Mike, Tina, Mercedes and Becky. Emma had never before been so grateful to see Sue Sylvester, thinking of her as a welcome distraction.

"Ah, I see butt-chin finally found someone to perfectly match his awful personality." the blonde coach stated. "I always thought you were too good for him, Eileen."

Emma just looked at her before walking off, she had a surprise to take care of.

* * *

><p>While her mother was having a horrible afternoon Santana was going through a particularly painful experience as well. She had been determined to enjoy this day, to laugh and skate and to flirt with every guy within reach, but the boy that was giving out the skates seemed to prefer Brittany and most of the attending football players appeared to be too scared of her brothers. She really needed something, or better yet someone, to distract her from thinking about a certain cheerleader. And then Quinn Fabray walked in, looking absolutely beautiful and along with every teenage boy in the room Santana could not help but stare and hope she was not drooling. The blonde girl proceeded to greet every single person in the room with hugs and kisses, but completely ignored the younger latina.<p>

"I hate you, Fabray." Santana thought and walked across the room. Her father and April had left the bar, the woman dragging the teacher to a small stage where they were now singing some kind of eighties power ballad, but the blonde had surprisingly left her unfinished drink behind and the dark-haired girl drank it in one big gulp, coughing a few times, but feeling strangely proud of herself. If no one was paying attention to her she might as well use it to her advantage.

* * *

><p>Emma was standing near the exit, watching her husband sing with the pint-sized alcoholic. She hated to admit it, but she was jealous of the woman. Not because she was the drunk owner of a place that would probably be shut down by authorities soon (Emma even had briefly thought about calling health inspection herself), but because she was up there and singing like it was the most normal thing in the world. Emma Schuester shared her husband's passion for music, she was a very talented pianist, had taken violin lessons for several years and she loved singing, but she had always been too shy to perform. She had never been in glee club, even though her school Crawford Country Day had had quite a good one. She had always been in the background, she had not been the popular cheerleader like Terri or the star that April had surely been. What could Will have possibly seen in her? All her insecurities were playing up, making her wish she could curl up somewhere and cry, or at least help disinfect some skates.<p>

"Why so sad little lady?" a familiar voice suddenly asked beside her. "Is it because your hubby got kidnapped by Tinkerbell over there?"

She gave the man a sad smile and nodded.

"You're so much prettier." he whispered in her ear and Emma blushed. "Now, where's the cake?"

* * *

><p>Brittany found her sister at the bar, where the girl had managed to snatch yet another unfinished drink.<p>

"Santana, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, What does it look like I'm doing?"

"It looks like you're getting drunk while pining over Quinn!"

Oh shit. When had Brittany gotten so smart? Santana eyed her drink suspiciously, maybe she was hallucinating.

"I'm not pining! I couldn't care less about Fabray." she hissed.

"Then why are you here in the back, looking miserable and getting drunk on second hand drinks, instead of having fun like we were planning to?"

Santana looked at the glass she was holding when Brit made the "second hand" comment. What _was _she doing? This was incredibly gross, she could not risk catching herpes from a used glass! She quickly shoved the offending item away.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Brit-Brit." she cried.

Brittany hugged her sister close.

"Let's go skate some, okay? Let's have fun."

They joined their siblings and friends on the rink. As expected Mike was incredibly good and was teaching the others how to do it.

"Santana!" Kurt beamed when he saw his sister and skated towards her. "Look! I'm roller-skating!" he lost his balance when he stopped in front of her and she quickly caught him in her arms. "I just need to learn how to stand in them." he grinned.

Santana smiled. Brittany was right, they had come here to have fun and she was determined to enjoy herself. She spent the next hour skating around and laughing with her friends and siblings, always feeling slightly dizzy and wondering if it came from skating in circles or from the drinks she had had. She even caught Quinn looking in her direction a few times and was glad the other girl saw her having fun and not sulking at the bar.

* * *

><p>"Time for the cake!" Will's voice came over the speakers. The man was still standing on the little stage April had forced him onto.<p>

Everyone gathered around the stage and of course Noah, who was after all the most important person of the day. Emma walked in, a table with the cake being pushed by someone behind her. Everyone sang Happy Birthday again. When the cake reached Puck, the man behind it stepped aside and grinned at the boy.

"Happy Birthday, kiddo!"

"Uncle Donnie!"

All of the Schuester kids cheered and greeted their favourite uncle.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was nearby and when your mom told me about the party I just couldn't resist the free food." the man said with a wink.

"This is the best surprise ever!" Puck beamed.

Donald called Puck and Finn to the side and handed the birthday boy an envelope.

"I didn't have time to get you a present, but I heard about your little piggy bank and thought I could make a contribution." the man smiled.

The boys' faces had fallen when they realised there would not be any exciting and exotic presents, but now they opened the envelope like it was a treasure chest.

"Oh my God! Uncle Donnie! That's three hundred dollars!" they screamed.

"Oh brother, you shouldn't have." Emma scolded, she had given him the hint about the piggy bank but had been thinking more in the line of maybe fifty dollars.

Donald just grinned, bathing in the amazed looks all of the attending kids were giving him. He loved being the centre of attention.

"Who's up for a song?" he snatched the microphone from Will and asked for some Springsteen. Seconds later he was belting out "Born in the USA" with most of the football team.

"You having fun, honey?" Will asked his wife.

"Sure." she replied.

"I'm sorry for leaving all the work to you. It is just really great to be catching up with April! You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not." she lied. Who was she to ruin the man's excitement.

* * *

><p>Everybody went back to skating and partying for a while, but the younger ones soon got tired. Sue and Becky left and after Mrs. Jones had come to pick up Mercedes, there was nothing to keep a sleepy Kurt on his feet. Emma decided it was time to take him and Artie home. She wanted to take Santana and the twins as well, but they begged her to be allowed to stay just a little bit longer.<p>

"I'll drop them off soon." Donnie promised.

After sending the boys to bed Emma dropped to the couch and began to cry. She cried for all the missed opportunities in her life and for the fact that her husband was enjoying this day with another woman. A woman more talented and confident than her.

* * *

><p>Back at the party Santana had finally found a boy who was brave enough to openly flirt with her. She enjoyed skating around while holding his hand almost as much as the fact that Quinn was watching them with a stony look on her face. She was not surprised to run into the cheerleader when she went to the bathroom.<p>

"What do you think you're doing, Tana?" the girl asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do. You're out there flirting with random guys, who are far too old for you. I'm surprised your father hasn't dragged you out of here yet."

"He's busy with that April woman. I can do whatever I want, nobody cares."

"I care."

"No you don't. All you care about is your precious image, Queen Bee."

"Tana… I know I hurt you. I'm so sorry I did, but what you're doing here today is hurting me, too. Think about how you'd feel if I threw myself at some random guy."

"Honestly? I couldn't care less." the latina spat and left the room, willing the tears not to spill from her eyes.

"We'll see about that." Quinn whispered to herself.

Santana went back to skating with the boy who's name she couldn't even remember, but it did not make her feel good about herself anymore. All her thoughts stayed with a certain blonde cheerleader. When Sam came to tell her that Quinn had been asking for her she left the boy without hesitating, walking to the dark hallway her brother had pointed to, it must be leading to the storage rooms. She heard noises but could not see who was there.

"Quinn?" she asked, searching for a light switch.

She finally found one and turned on the light, instantly regretting it. In front of her she saw her brother and Quinn, caught in a passionate kiss. The latina turned and ran.

Puck was confused about what had just happened, but seeing the look on the blonde girl's face he was quickly able to piece things together.

"You bitch! Did you just use me to hurt my sister?"

* * *

><p>Santana was kneeling on the cold ground outside, puking her guts out, when she heard footsteps behind her. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her shaking body.<p>

"Mi hija?"

"Daddy!" the girl sobbed. "Please take me away from here. Please take me home!"

"What happened, sweetie?" Will asked, lifting the girl into his arms.

"Nothing you would understand." she sobbed.

"Why don't you try me? I bet I could…"

"No! No you cant! You don't understand! You didn't even see how much you hurt mommy when you glued yourself to that April woman!"

Will gulped. Had he really hurt his wife? Had he been that oblivious? He saw the twins looking at him and could tell that they agreed with Santana.

"Let's get you home." he sighed, shifting his daughter in his arms. He caught a whiff of alcohol when he did that. "Have you been drinking?"

What on earth had happened? How could he have missed it all? Had he really been so fascinated by a drunk woman he had not seen since high school that he had neglected the most important people in his life? He sent Sam to inform Puck, Finn and Donnie and then left with his three thirteen year olds.

When they arrived at home the father carried Santana up to her room and let Brittany take care of the still crying girl. He went back downstairs and looked at his wife sleeping on the couch. Tear streaks were covering her face and little Kurt had cuddled up to her closely. He carefully disentangled the small boy from his mother and carried him to bed.

"Is everything going to be okay?" Sam asked him when he entered the room.

Will had never seen the boy look so insecure before. How could he have been so oblivious when he was upsetting his entire family?

"I promise it will be, buddy." he said.

Back downstairs he carefully sat down next to his wife, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. He kissed her lips as gently as possible. Big brown eyes opened and looked up at him.

"Will?"

"Yes, darling."

"How come you're home already?"

"Santana wasn't feeling well… and I really missed you."

"You did?"

"Of course, baby! You're the most important person in my life. I can stand being without you just as much as I can stand going without oxygen! I love you!"

Emma looked at him with wide eyes. Of course he loved her, she knew he did, how had she been able to doubt it for just one second.

"I'm sorry, honey." he continued and pressed another kiss to her lips. "Today I failed at making you feel like the most wonderful and most desired woman in the world. It will never happen again."

They shared another passionate kiss and even went as far as having a little make out session on the couch. After about thirty minutes Emma managed to come up for air and remembered being a mother of seven.

"Where are the kids?" she asked.

"The younger ones are all in their rooms. Noah and Finn are still at the party."

"Is Donnie going to bring them home?"

"Uhm… no. Marcus promised to take them."

"What about Donnie?"

"Well…" Will was not quite sure how to say this. "He kind o left with April."

Emma stared at her husband, her mouth hanging open. Then she burst into a fit of laughter.

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><p>AN: Thanks for reading and commenting.<p>

I kind of made a tumblr account this week, but i'm not sure if and how I'm going to use it yet. Anyways.. if you want to follow my username is boylikeme94.


	32. Chapter 32: Messes

_Short chapter is short!_

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><p>Puck stood in front of his sister's bedroom, one fist raised, but he could not bring himself to knock. Santana had not come down for breakfast, Brittany told them she was feeling ill and most of them had been able to hear the latina retching in the bathroom during the night, so nobody questioned it. Now it was almost time for lunch and the boy had still not caught sight of his sister, all he knew was that they needed to talk. He had to make things right. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.<p>

"Come in." he heard Brittany's voice call.

When Noah entered he saw his two sisters and Kurt huddled together on the bed. Santana was lying in the middle with Brittany spooning her from behind and their baby brother hugging her front, one small hand playing with her dark hair.

"Hey." Puck whispered.

"Do you want to help us braid Santana's hair?" Kurt asked, somehow not sensing the tension in the room.

"No." the older boy smiled at the child's innocence. "I was actually wondering if I could speak to Santana alone for a minute."

"Oh." Kurt looked disappointed.

"Come on." Brittany said taking her little brother's hand. "Let's see if mommy needs some help in the kitchen."

Noah sent the blonde a thankful smile, ruffled his brother's hair, earning himself a protesting squeak and watched them leave. He slowly sat down on Brittany's bed opposite his sister.

"Hey." he repeated.

Santana did not respond immediately, she just stared at him and watched him suffer for about a minute.

"What do you want, Puckerman?" she finally asked.

The boy sighed and ran a hand through his mohawk. How should he start this?

"I think we need to talk." he finally said.

"We do?"

"Yes. I wanna talk about yesterday. About what happened at the party."

"Well, I don't."

"Please, sis. I can't stand you being mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you. You know she just used you, right?"

Noah nodded.

"I'm a bit disappointed. I mean you knew I liked her."

"I didn't…"

"Oh, come on. I know you saw us on New Year's."

The boy blushed.

"Why did you do it?" the girl asked.

"The most popular and really beautiful girl came up to me and asked me if I wanted to make out." he looked at his sister "What would you have done?"

Santana bit her lip and both teens blushed when their eyes met.

"She definitely was the most beautiful girl there." the latina agreed.

"No." Puck said, surprising his sister. "You were the most beautiful girl at the party, but you're my sister and I'll deny ever having said that..."

Santana blushed at her brother's words.

"And I guess you were the most beautiful to her, too. I didn't know.. I swear.. But when I saw her face after you'd seen us… I know she just used me, sis."

The girl heard the pain in her brother's voice and felt sorry for him. He did not deserve being used like that. She got up from her bed and hugged him.

"You really like her, huh?" she asked.

Noah just shrugged. He was not sure what he felt for the cheerleader.

"You love her." he said instead. It was not a question.

"Yes."

They sat in silence until they were interrupted by the sound of loud squealing and Emma's desperate attempts to restore order coming from downstairs.

"What's going on?" Santana asked.

"Uncle Donnie arrived about an hour ago." Puck shrugged. "Wanna go take a look?"

The girl nodded, she was getting a little hungry anyways. In the living room Donnie was running around with Artie on his back, Finn had Kurt on his back and both of the younger boys were swinging rolled up magazines like swords, trying to hit the other one. Sam was busy throwing confetti at all of them, while Emma was running from one to the other trying to reason with them and save her furniture.

"Stop!" She finally shouted. "Whoever doesn't quit right now won't get lunch!"

Donnie and Finn both dropped the little boys on the couch immediately, which prompted Emma to run over and make sure they had not hurt themselves, but Artie and Kurt were simply caught in fits of giggles. Their laughter was infectious and caused even Santana to smile while she pulled her youngest brother in for a hug.

"Can we braid your hair now?" Kurt asked and the girl nodded.

Artie, Brittany and Kurt all braided Santana's hair while Donnie had Finn, Puck and Sam completely mesmerized with another adventure story and by the time Emma called they had almost forgotten about lunch. They wolfed down their food until their uncle got banned from the table for starting a food fight. Emma was generous enough to allow him to take the older boys outside for a game of touch football after that. She really just wanted him out of the house before he could break anything valuable. Mike and Matt soon came over to join the game and even Will found himself dragged into it. Kurt and the girls offered to help their mother clean up the mess that had once been their living an dining rooms, but the woman thought Santana still looked a little shaken, so she told them to go to the girls' room and watch a movie. The living room looked like a bomb had exploded in it and Emma wondered if she would need search and rescue dogs to find the floor. Before the ginger could decide where to start cleaning up the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Brittany yelled before almost somersaulting down the stairs.

Emma held her breath wondering if this was the day one of her children was going to give her a heart attack, but before she could dwell on the thought or go back to cleaning up the mess that used to be her beautiful, clean home the boys called for her from the porch.

Brittany opened the door and frowned, standing in front of her was none other than Quinn Fabray.

"They don't want to see you." the younger one hissed. She did not get angry very often, but no one was allowed to hurt her siblings.

"I need to talk to her, please."

"No." Brittany said crossing her arms.

"Santana!" Quinn called while trying to get past the smaller blonde. She finally managed to take three steps into the house, but stopped when she saw the beautiful latina on the stairs. Kurt was standing right beside her, holding onto her trembling hand.

"What do you want, Quinn?" the girl asked.

Brittany did not like this, she was scared of a fight and rushed to go find her mother, leaving the front door open. Emma was in the downstairs bathroom trying to patch up Puck and Finn who were bleeding from where their heads had collided during the game, she was definitely too busy to help. Looking outside the girl spotted her father on the porch scolding his brother-in-law for allowing the boys to get hurt. With no parent or big brother available to help Brittany went back towards the entrance, where Santana and Quinn were now shouting at each other while Kurt looked on in fear.

"YOU are the one who told me you wouldn't care!" the cheerleader was yelling.

"You said some _random _guy, Quinn! He's my brother!" Santana shouted back.

Brittany locked eyes with her little brother, not knowing what to do, but before she could say anything the small boy moved.

"Ouch!" Quinn screamed.

"Kurt!" Santana called her little brother who had just kicked the cheerleader hard.

"Excuse me." a small cough sounded from behind them.

A woman stood in their doorway taking in the scene.

"My name is Miriam Rose. I'm here to perform a social services check up."

The three girls looked at each other, then at the mess in the house. There was blood on the floor leading to the bathroom, plates and clothes were clattering the room and Lord Tubbington was licking mashed potatoes off the back of the couch. In the distance they could hear their mother scolding their brothers and their father and uncle yelling about being irresponsible on the porch.

"Oh God."

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><p><em>AN: thanks for the nice reviews. Next chapter will have lots of Kurt, I feel like we've been neglecting him.<em>


	33. Chapter 33: Check

_Thanks for all the reviews!_

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><p>Social services? The three girls could only gape in shock while Kurt chose to hide behind his dark-haired sister.<p>

"MOMMY!" Brittany finally yelled.

"What's going on?" Emma appeared, followed by her two oldest sons, who were now wearing bandages around their heads. She tried to ignore the mess that was her living room and looked at the small group gathered near the front door. Her two daughters and youngest son were there, together with Quinn who was rubbing her shins and looked like she was in pain. All four of the kids looked fearful. Then the mother noticed the woman standing in the doorway.

"Hello." Emma uttered looking very confused. She had never seen this lady before.

"Good afternoon. Mrs. Schuester? My name is Miriam Rose, I am here to perform a social services check up."

"Oh." Emma was stunned. Of course after all these years as a foster mother this was not her first check up, she had actually been expecting one ever since Kurt moved in, but that was so long ago and she had been so busy lately that she simply forgot. "What happened to Mrs. Kenny?" Emma had liked the older woman, who had visited them regularly ever since Finn had come to live with them.

"She retired a couple of months ago." Ms. Rose supplied.

"Oh, I wish we'd known. We would have sent a card or some flowers." Emma knew she was babbling now, but she had just taken in the state of her living room and was beginning to panic. Was it normal not to be able to feel one's hands or feet? She couldn't remember. "Why don't you come inside?"

The group moved a little further into the living room and the mother only now spotted the drops of blood on the floor. She was beginning to sway on her feet and offered Finn a grateful smile when he steadied her.

"Hi, I'm Noah." Puck introduced himself in a polite tone. "I think I have to apologise for this mess. It was my birthday yesterday and things went a little overboard. I still have some friends over." He waved to his friends, uncle and father who were coming in from the porch.

Emma was shocked and proud at the same time. Was that well mannered young man really her rebellious son? She honestly had not expected that.

"I'm Finn." her oldest introduced himself now. "Noah and I had a little accident while playing outside." He explained pointing to the bandages on his head.

While their brothers were distracting the woman Brittany and Santana managed to hide some of the mess by secretly shoving things under the couches with their feet.

Will and Donnie entered and introduced themselves, both apologising for just about anything they could think of. Everyone watched the social worker closely, trying to tell anything from the way she looked around the room taking everything in.

The family was scared, they had never before been so unprepared for a visit. The house was a total mess, two of the children were hurt, Santana still looked hung over and a little green from throwing up all night and the social worker had witnessed Kurt being violent towards a girl. This was bad. They all tried to get a reading on the lady who was there to judge them.

The woman appeared to be in her mid-thirties, she looked pretty and athletic, but she kept her dark hair in a tight bun and it gave her a kind of strict look. Her face was completely unreadable. She looked around the room and at every single member of the family, then went back to writing something on her clipboard.

"I would like to talk to Kurt." she finally said.

The little boy had left his sister's side and was now clinging to his mother. He hugged her even closer when he heard the woman's request. The knuckles on the hand that was holding his pink power ranger had turned white.

"Mommy." he whispered fearfully.

"It's gonna be okay, baby." Emma said pressing a kiss to the boy's pale cheek. "Why don't you go and show Ms. Rose your room?"

"Just talk to her." Will mouthed.

The child really did not want to show the lady around the house. Strangers still made him nervous and as far as he could understand this woman had the power to take him away from his beloved family and they had not exactly made a very good first impression. He had to show her that this was the best home for him and he had to make his family proud. He put his brave face on and nodded. He gingerly offered his hand to the social worker.

"My room is upstairs." he told her.

When Kurt and the woman climbed the stairs the whole family and their friends looked at each other with panic in their eyes.

"Let's try and clean up a little." Emma managed to say.

"What's the point? She's already seen this mess." Artie piped up.

"Just do it." his father told him, the man sounded defeated.

Upstairs Kurt began with his little tour. His father had told him to talk, so that was what he was going to do.

"That's our parents' room." he said pointing to an open door.

Ms. Rose took a quick look. The room was tidy and looked friendly.

"Do you like your foster parents?" she asked the boy.

"Yes." the boy beamed. "Mommy is the best. She always hugs me and kisses me and she allows us to have our friends over even though there's so many of them and it sometimes gets messy. Mommy likes things clean."

"And your father?"

"He loves music and he sings with us all the time. He's teaching me to play piano and I learned a little Spanish because he speaks it to Santana every day."

"Santana is your Hispanic sister?"

"Yes, she's also Lebanese." Kurt was proud that he remembered the word that Brittany had taught him.

Ms. Rose looked confused, but moved on. They reached the next room.

"Santana and Brittany sleep here." Kurt explained. "Most of the time they share Brit's bed cuz it keeps Santana's nightmares away, but she was sick last night so she slept in her own bed. That's also why it isn't made yet."

"Why was your sister sick?"

"I don't know. I think she saw Noah kiss Quinn and it made her throw up."

The woman could only raise an eyebrow at that statement.

"Is Quinn the girl you kicked when I arrived?"

The boy looked down, he already regretted hurting the blonde. His Daddy had always told him that it is wrong to hit girls and he was sure that there was a similar rule for kicking. What if they took him away from his family because he had been so aggressive? Could he be sent to jail for this? He did not want to leave and orange was a colour that just did not look good on anyone.

"I'm sorry for that. I was only trying to protect my sister. I promise I'll apologise to Quinn."

Ms. Rose simply nodded.

"Do you want to see Puck and Finn's room?"

"Sure. Who's Puck?"

"That's Noah's nickname. He chose it himself. His last name is Puckerman."

"I see. Do you have a nickname?"

"Noah calls me ranger." Kurt smiled.

"Because of your power ranger?" she looked at the action figure in the boy's hand.

"I guess so."

"Where did you get it?"

"My daddy gave it to me when my mommy died. It protects me"

The child's bottom lip quivered and the social worker was afraid he might cry.

"Do you like the nickname?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because it is a special thing between me and my brother."

"Is Noah more special to you than your other brothers?"

"I love all my brothers." Kurt hesitated. Was it bad if he was closer to Noah?

Luckily the social worker decided not to press any further. The little boy showed her the room his big brothers shared. It was a typical, slightly messy teenage boys' room.

"They like football a lot." Kurt explained pointing out some posters. "They are on their school team. Finn might even become quarterback one day. Right now that's Marcus. He's my best friends brother."

"Would you like to play football in high school?"

"No, it looks dangerous and you get your clothes all dirty. Plus Coach Sylvester made me sign a contract to join the cheerios and I can't be a cheerleader and a football player at the same time."

Ms. Rose looked shocked. What kind of person made a child sign contracts?

"This is my room. I share it with my brother Sam." the boy explained when they reached another door.

"Do you like sharing with him?"

"Yes, Sam is great. He knows every movie ever made and he can make the voices of all the characters. He tells me funny stories when I can't sleep or when I get nightmares."

"Do you get a lot of nightmares?"

"Not so often anymore."

"What are they about when you still have them?"

"Losing my family." the little boy whispered looking down.

The social worker took in her surroundings. The room was very neat for being shared by two young boys. There were two beds, both of which were made. Above one bed the wall was covered by several movie posters, above the other hung what appeared to be a collage.

"What's this?" she asked pointing at the artwork.

"I made that." Kurt explained. "It's pictures of everyone I love." He began pointing things out to her. "Here are my mommy and daddy, who are in heaven now. They still watch over me." he explained pointing at a picture in the centre, getting a little teary-eyed. "My new mommy and daddy are right next to them. They say they work for my mommy and daddy in heaven now, making sure I am happy and safe. And there's pictures of all my siblings. He pointed at pictures of his sisters practicing cheerleading moves and his brothers playing football. There was also one of Sam and an Asian boy dancing. This is my best friend Mercedes." he said pointing to a picture of a little black girl. "We are going to get married one day, because she needs three husbands to be a real diva."

The social worker did again not quite know how to react to that statement.

"Here's a picture of all the power rangers. This is a photo of our neighbour, Coach Sue, she's Becky's foster mom." he pointed to a small blonde girl in the picture next to the woman. "I had to put that pic in later cuz Becky only moved here recently. I had to stick it on top of a picture of the Disney princesses."

He looked at Ms. Rose to make sure she understood that sacrifice. The woman decided to simply nod.

"This is Coach Sue's sister Jean. I liked her but she died." the boy wiped his eyes. "Here's a photo of my brother Artie and his best friend Tina, she helps a lot when I do stuff like this. She also makes these bracelets." he showed off his wrists. "And this is a pic of my sister Brittany with Santa. This is from when Rachel took me to see a musical and here's Uncle Donnie and Grandma Victoria. She knows everything about good skincare." He gave the social worker a close look, making her slightly self-conscious of her pores. "And the frame is just pretty, colourful things I clipped from magazines." he finished his little presentation.

"That is a really impressive collage." the woman stated.

"My mommy says I am very talented. " he beamed.

"Do you want to be an artist when you grow up?"

"I don't know. Maybe I will become a prince in a Disney musical. Or I will make pretty clothes." he couldn't decide. "Rachel says when she's a star I can be her assistant and help her with her outfits. She really needs help. But I'm not sure if I want that."

"You don't have to know yet." the woman said.

She moved towards the desk in front of the window and looked at a container on top of it.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Those are my sea monkeys." the boy explained and then proceeded to give her the name and short biography of every single one of them.

Downstairs the family and their friends had managed to make their living and dining rooms look presentable again. Rachel, Sue and Becky had joined them, but once they all sat down again nobody dared to speak. Emma tried her best not to cry. Everyone looked sad and deep in thought, none of them could imagine a life without Kurt in it anymore.

When the social worker and the little boy returned everyone looked at them, anticipating the worst. The little boy ran to his mother and hid in her arms.

"Excuse me." Rachel got up and approached the social worker. "My name is Rachel Berry, I have two gay dads and we know everything about family rights. Our attorney will gladly help the Schuesters…"

"Would you please take a seat?" Miriam Rose interrupted and the girl simply closed her mouth and sat down.

Will was shocked, he had never seen anyone silence his glee club captain like that before. Emma hugged her youngest son even closer, hoping he was still able to breathe.

Ms. Rose sat down and began sorting through her files.

"I spoke to Kurt's teacher Ms. Bingham and to Dr. Davies before coming here." she started. "Both of them told me what a great boy he is and that he is making wonderful progress."

The family smiled with pride and relief.

"I know my visit today shocked everyone a little bit." what an understatement. "That also tells me that this isn't what the house looks like every day. And trust me, I have three kids of my own, I know children make a mess."

Emma smiled in relief and kissed her baby boy's hair.

"From what Kurt told me I can safely say he feels a part of this family. He loves all of you very much and he feels safe and protected like he should be."

Will wrapped an arm around his wife and son.

"You're raising seven wonderful children."

Emma got up and hugged the woman.

"Thank you." she whispered.

"No, thank you! From what I heard you're an awesome mother."

And with that the woman said her goodbyes and left.

"I don't know how you did that." Will smiled proudly at Kurt.

"I talked to her, just like you said."

"You did great, baby." Emma smiled and kissed her son's nose.

"Our ranger is a true hero." Noah piped up.

"I'm sorry for kicking you." the little boy said looking at Quinn.

"I deserved it." the cheerleader replied, sitting next to a smiling Santana.

"Let's celebrate!" Finn yelled and ran to get ice cream.

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><p><em>AN: I was bored and lonely and all my facebook friends suck.. so here's a happy chapter for you :)<em>


	34. Chapter 34: Spring

Thanks for all the reviews!

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><p>Emma Schuester was looking out of her living room window and smiling. The sun was shining and the first flowers dotted the garden with colourful sprinkles. This promised to be the first warm day of spring and it made her happy. Her daughters were already outside practicing cheerleading moves with Sue and Becky and in the driveway she could hear her husband teach his sons about cars. She heard the familiar roar of an engine - and suddenly all the calm was gone and she began to panic. She ran outside as fast as she could.<p>

"STOP!" she screamed as she flung herself in front of the car.

"MOM!" Finn screeched from behind the steering wheel. "Oh my God! I almost ran over my mother! I almost hit you with the car!" the boy was beginning to hyperventilate.

"Emma! Honey, what do you think you're doing?" Will asked his wife from the passenger's seat.

"What am I doing? What do you think you're doing?" she asked staring at him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm teaching the boys how to drive! Like we promised them and like I told you half an hour ago!"

Emma gaped at her husband for a minute. He was right, they had promised the boys to teach them and he had told her he was going to start today. She had agreed, thinking the weather was just perfect - so very non-threatening.

"I heard the engine!" she accused, not ready to admit she was in the wrong just yet.

"Yes, darling. We kind of need it to drive." her husband smirked.

"Don't patronize me!" the woman glared.

"Mom, please! Can you move away from the car now? You're making me kind of nervous." Finn begged from the driver's seat.

"Just one second, sweetie." his mother replied and moved to the back of the car.

"Ouch! Mom!"

The woman had opened a door and began pulling Artie, Sam and Puck from the backseat.

"Emma, don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit?" Will sighed.

"There's absolutely no way I'll let you have any more of my children in that car than are absolutely necessary."

The man loved the way his wife pouted to emphasize each "absolutely" but tried to hide his smile in fear of angering her.

"Can we at least have Puck back?" he asked instead. "That way he can learn some while Finn is driving and I can let them switch later."

Emma thought about the request for a minute and finally caved to Noah's puppy dog eyes and allowed him to get back in the car. Artie and Sam were quietly cursing behind her. The mother slowly walked to the passenger's side and faced her husband.

"If I find just one scratch on either boy or the car when you get back - you'll sleep on the couch for the rest of your life!"

Will swallowed audibly.

Back inside Artie and Sam stormed off to the wheel-chaired boy's room to sulk and "shoot something". They did not even hear their mother try to praise the wonderful weather once more.

"MOMMY!" a desperate wail echoed through the house.

Emma hurried up the stairs, tripping twice, in fear of finding her youngest child seriously hurt. When she finally reached the right room she found the little boy sitting on the floor, his big blue eyes shining with tears.

"What's wrong, baby?" she asked, not spotting any visible injuries.

"They won't fit anymore." the child sobbed, holding up a bright pink canvas sneaker.

"Oh, Kurtie!" Emma had to hide a smile, she really did not mind her children being healthy and growing. She knew how much the boy loved his shoes though and how often she had to prevent him from wearing them in the cold Ohio winter. "I guess your feet have grown."

"I hate my feet." the child pouted.

"How about this..." Emma proposed. "We can take a little shopping trip and get you new ones. Shoes nobody has ever worn before."

"No hand me downs?" the boy questioned.

"No hand me downs. They will be Kurt originals."

The boy beamed and jumped up to hug his mother.

"I love you."

"I love you too, sweetie." she replied and kissed his soft hair.

Sam and Artie, too, loved their brother and mother very much, but they refused to abandon an epic battle on the games console to ho hunting for shoes. They were eventually able to convince their mother, that they were not planning on moving at all and that that would mean they were considerably safe inside the house.

The girls did not feel like joining them as well, Sue was teaching them a new routine and had even gone as far as praising them.

"I've got an eye on them." the coach told Emma.

"Looks like it's just you and me honey." the mother told Kurt.

"That's okay." The little boy smiled, he liked not having to share his mommy for once.

They drove to a small shopping centre not far from their house. Emma knew a store that sold converse chucks in every colour of the rainbow, the little boy was sure to find something there. Kurt patiently allowed one of the employees to measure him and then went looking for the perfect pair. His mother found a seat and was on her second cup of in-shop coffee when her son appeared in front of her.

"Find something, baby?" she smiled.

"Yes!" he beamed, showing her that he was wearing a white pair that was covered in little multi-coloured stars .

"Very nice!" Emma smiled, they were even reduced in price. This kid knew how to shop.

An employee came to check on them and Kurt modelled his shoes for her as well as some of the other customers.

"Can I keep them on, please?" he asked.

"Sure you can."

Kurt was happily bouncing along , holding his mother's hand when she received a phone call.

"Hello? Will? Can you please slow down? I don't understand! What? Oh my God! Where are you?"

The boy frowned looking up at the woman. This talk did not sound good at all.

"Come on, honey. We have to get to the hospital. Your father and brothers have been in an accident." all the colour had left Emma's face.

Kurt just nodded and hurried along his mother to the parking lot. They got to their car and Emma cursed as she was so nervous she could not find her keys. The little boy waited patiently, biting his lower lip and trying not to cry. He was terrified, he really did not think he could go through losing another family member. He wanted to ask Emma who had gotten hurt. Was it his new father? Or one of his big brothers? He could tell that his mother was just as scared, so he did not dare to interrupt her thoughts.

"It's gonna be okay, baby." the ginger whispered under her breath, but she did not sound very convincing.

Emma drove as fast as she could, trying not to cry and have tears blur her vision. She could not lose it right now, not with her youngest son in the car. She had not been able to make out half of what Will had said. Someone had gotten hurt, but she did not know who. Was it her husband? If so, it could not be too bad, after all he had been able to call. His voice had not sounded too strained. But she could be wrong, he could have just been trying to be brave for her. Will was like that, always trying to be her rock. Or maybe it was one of the boys? One of her beautiful teenage sons? Those boys still had so much ahead of them. They were both trying to get football scholarships when they were old enough for college. What if the accident had ruined that? What if they had been seriously hurt? They would not be able to fit a second wheelchair in either car. Would they be able to fit a second bed in Artie's room? And what if it was even worse? What if… oh no, she could not let her thoughts go there. She risked a look at her small son in the seat next to her. The little boy was trembling and silent tears were staining his face.

"It's gonna be okay." she repeated. "They've got to be okay."

Kurt managed a small nod. When they arrived at the hospital she grabbed his small hand and squeezed it.

"Let's be strong." she whispered.

They hurried inside and asked a nurse at the front desk, but the woman could not find a patient named Schuester or Puckerman on her list. Emma thought she was going to go insane. Dragging a sobbing little boy around emergency rooms was surely not something she would recommend to anyone. Finally she was able to spot her husband at the end of a hall.

"Will!" she ran and flung herself into his arms.

"Emma." he hugged her tightly. When he saw Kurt he immediately lifted the crying boy into his arms. "Shhh… it's okay."

Kurt wished people would stop telling him things were okay.

"Where are the boys?" Emma asked, her voice breaking.

"They're fine. Don't worry." Will tried to calm his wife and son.

"Where are they?" Emma shrieked again.

"They just went to grab something to drink."

"They're not hurt?" the mother was not sure if she could trust her husband right now.

Will tried to calm his wife and son, who were both crying now, but nothing seemed to help.

"There they are." he finally said.

Finn and Puck were waking towards them. Both boys looked a little pale but unharmed.

"Mom! Kurt!" the boys greeted them with hugs.

"My babies!" Emma kissed both of them.

"Hey ranger." Puck took the still crying boy into his arms. "Shhh, we're here. We're fine. Look!"

Finn did a little dance to prove he was fine and both Emma and Kurt couldn't help but smile.

"I don't understand." the mother finally said. "I thought you said someone got hurt."

All three men looked down.

"Would somebody please tell me what happened?"

"Finn was driving!" Puck blurted.

"Noah!"

"It's true."

Since Finn looked like he was reliving the accident and either faint or throw up Emma looked at her husband.

"Yes, Finn was driving." Will sighed. "But it wasn't his fault. None of us saw it coming."

"Saw what coming?"

"The mailman."

"Mailman? You hit a mailman?" Emma paled at the nods she received. "Is he hurt badly?"

"We're not sure."

They all sat down in the waiting room, Kurt clinging to Noah, Emma holding onto Will and Finn shaking his head and whispering things the whole time. Poor boy. Emma gently rubbed his back. Finally a doctor arrived.

"You can see him now." they were told.

When they entered the examination room the civil servant was already getting dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Dude, I'm so sorry." Finn said.

"Our insurance will pay." Will supplied.

"Are you hurt badly?" Emma asked.

"I sprained my right ankle and right wrist. I also got a mild concussion, but they're allowing me to go home."

Everyone was relieved to hear the news. They gave the men their phone number and told him to contact them if he needed anything. Will had already left their insurance details at the front desk.

The family slowly made their way to the parking lot. Puck giving Kurt a piggy back ride and Finn still looking slightly sick. Both parents were sure the boy was going to have nightmares about this.

"Em, honey. Uhm, we kind of have to take your car back, okay?" Will said.

"What happened to your car? Is it bad?"

"I don't know yet." he said.

"I knew it." Emma glared, but not being able to be mad for too long though. She was happy her family was unharmed.

Kurt cuddled up to his brother's neck.

"Hey ranger." Noah said. "Cool shoes."

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><p><em>AN: thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing, especially those who just joined and took the time to read more than 30 chapters in one go. Nutters! hehe<em>

_I'm starting a new school next week. It has a really cool art's programme so I'm expecting more fun and less neanderthals, but they're taking us on this introduction week trip, so I'll be gone til next weekend. I'm taking my laptop so I can write if I have the time, but I have no clue about internet access n stuff._

_As I was asked I'm gonna say it again: Kurt is gay. That's not gonna change. Right now he's planning to marry Mercedes cuz neither of them see anything wrong in spending the rest of their lives with their best friend. They're innocent like that, but they're gonna grow up n neither will be sexually attracted to the other. Kurt ends up with Blaine. No set ideas for Mercedes yet_, so feel free to suggest, worked out just fine for Kalexico..lol


	35. Chapter 35: Stage

Sorry for the short chapter after the long wait!

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><p>Kurt sat in a little fort he had built himself with the help of some pillows, blankets and his foster father's favourite armchair. The little boy loved his new family, but sometimes all the noisy chaos could get a little much for someone who had been a spoiled only child for almost all his life. At those times he would build himself a little hiding place to be alone with his thoughts. He would often pick these times to go through his photo albums and look at pictures of his original mother and father. He still missed them greatly but he already found it difficult to remember the sounds of their voices and he was scared to forget what they looked like as well. He would trace their features with his fingertips, trying to memorise each tiny wrinkle on their smiling faces, something he did not dare to do in front of his new family or friends because he did not want to worry them.<p>

Today was different though, instead of hiding himself away with the treasured albums the boy had a stack of song sheets and music books to go through, as well as some CDs that he had brought together with a portable CD player. After adding some cookies and a small bottle of juice to the pile he nodded in content, he was all set for his little mission. Rachel Berry's birthday party was in just two days and he had not picked his song yet. The girl had asked each of her guests, which included only the Glee club and Schuester kids as she still was not popular, to prepare a performance of a musical song for her party. Most of the kids had groaned at that revelation, Santana had even mumbled something about cake and suffocating, but Kurt was really excited about the idea. The little boy loved musicals and was excited about performing in front of his siblings. Only two things made him a little nervous. Mercedes was not going to be there as Rachel had not invited the little girl and he had been told that he was going to be the first one to perform as he would have to leave pretty early for his bed time.

Kurt spent hours reading the sheets and books and listening to the different Cds. He came up with his own little system to organize his work, he stacked everything into four neat piles, well technically there were supposed to be four. One pile with the stuff he had not gone through yet, which was shrinking rapidly. One large pile with songs he had decided were definitely not right for him, the pink ranger currently sitting on top of it. One very small pile with songs he might consider if he did not find anything better. And the still non existent pile of songs he would happily choose from. The boy sighed and looked at the "maybe" pile again, currently it held two song sheets, one was "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie, he knew Rachel would love that. The other song was "I just can't wait to be King" from the Lion King. Neither song spoke to Kurt personally, he had honestly only chosen them because he thought they might suit his voice. He sighed again and dropped his head in his hands. How could this be so difficult? All his siblings had chosen their songs ages ago! Finn had been the first to announce his choice "Santa Fe" from the musical Newsies. Nobody was surprised, the tall teen harboured a strange fascination for Westerns, Puck had barely been able to prevent him from getting Cowboy wallpaper for their room. Noah himself had chosen to sing "Pinball Wizard" from Tommy because The Who were "totally badass". Sam had whined about there not being enough science fiction musicals. Why had no one thought of a Doctor Who musical yet? He eventually settled for something from "We Will Rock You". Santana had picked "There are worse things I could do" from Grease. Kurt had watched her practice and thought she was surely going to steal the show, Rachel would probably want to kill her. Brittany and Artie had found a video on youtube where the cast of Avenue Q sang "Popular" from Wicked as Kate Monster and Trekkie Monster. It was absolutely hilarious and they wanted to re-enact it at the party. Kurt loved Wicked, but did not want to sing something from the same show as his siblings. The little boy thought that maybe he should include the internet into his search, he definitely was not making any progress here. He crawled out of his fort and made his way to Artie's room.

Artie was sitting at his desk and playing around on Facebook. Of course he had Tina on chat and they were busy trading gifts on the various games. The boy was currently complaining about not being able to level up in Yoville anymore because he had reached level fifty and that was as high as you could get. The whole game had lost it's appeal. Fishville and Petville had both gotten boring rather quickly so they went back to cultivating their crops in Farmville. Artie would have much rather been shooting something or maybe racing cars, but he wanted to amuse Tina and smiled every time she cheered because he gave her a sheep or chicken or even just a nail. He smiled at the girl's excitement when it knocked on the door.

"Can I come in?" his little brother's pale face peeked around the door.

"Of course, bro!"

"What are you doing?" the little boy asked.

"I'm playing with Tina:"

Kurt stared at the screen, he did not quite see the appeal.

"Wouldn't it be more fun to play with her actually here?" he asked.

"Yeah, but she can't come over. We got too much homework."

"But you're not doing your homework."

Artie sighed and looked at his little brother.

"You'll understand when you're older." he said. "Now, how can I help you?"

Kurt frowned, he was only two years younger than his brother, but since he needed the boy's help he decided not to bring it up right now.

"I need to find a song for Rachel's party, but I can't decide. Can you help me search on the internet?"

"Sure thing!" Artie smiled. He loved being the one Kurt had come to. He often felt like the least important big brother, because he was the youngest, did not share his room and also because of his disability.

The boys dived into Google and youtube searches and by the time their mother called them to dinner their sides were hurting from laughing too much. Kurt was also sure that he had found the perfect song and Artie had his first real proud big brother moment.

* * *

><p>The day of Rachel's party rolled around and the Schuester kids buzzed around the house getting dressed, wrapping their presents and humming their song choices under their breaths.<p>

At seven o'clock the doorbell chimed and when Sam opened the door it revealed a breathless Quinn.

"My Dad dropped me off early." the cheerleader explained. "Please, there's no way I'm going over there by myself." she said looking over at the Berry house.

Santana, who happened to walk past at that moment, laughed and grabbed the blonde girl's hand. "Come upstairs. You can help me with Brittany's hair." she smiled.

When everyone was ready they said their good byes to Emma and Will and walked down the street as a group. Finn and Puck had promised to return Kurt and Artie home safely after their performances.

Rachel greeted everyone excitedly when she opened the door in a hideous dress. Kurt briefly wondered why the girl was wearing a night gown, nobody had told him anything about a sleep over. They were led to the house's basement, where a single poor glee club member sat waiting.

"Oh thank God!" the girl exclaimed when she saw the group arrive.

The other guests arrived shortly after, it almost seemed like they had been hiding somewhere waiting for the Schuester kids to arrive first. Rachel happily took to the stage and began stating the various rules for the evening. Of course there would not be any alcohol, but they were also not allowed to touch a whole lot of things and there were strict regulations regarding the length of their performances. Kurt felt his eyes drooping by the time the girl finally finished. He only realised it was his turn to take the stage when Brittany gently nudged him towards it.

The small boy gulped and clutched his pink ranger a little tighter, suddenly realising that he was a whole lot more nervous than he liked to admit. His throat felt parched and his heart was hammering inside his chest. He had to keep telling himself that his audience consisted mostly of his siblings, people who would never make fun of him. Right now all of his brothers and sisters were looking at him in anticipation. Except for Artie none of them knew which song he was going to perform. When anyone had asked he had told them he was still trying to decide between "Tomorrow" and "I can't wait to be King". He took one last deep breath and walked over to the microphone. It was purple and bedazzled, very Rachel Berry, it was also far too high for him, but Matt quickly helped adjust it for him. Kurt smiled gratefully. He nodded towards Artie and his brother started the music. Everyone looked surprised when the tiny boy began to sing.

_I wanna be a Starship Ranger_

_I wanna have the things they've got_

_I could be a Starship Ranger_

_But there's just one little thing they are_

_That I'm not_

_All of my life I've pictured them out there_

_Keeping the peace in outer space_

_I may not be up there with 'em_

_But I've got what it takes_

_I've got a hunger & thirst for adventure_

_I wanna travel the galaxy_

_The future is now, so I don't see how_

_The time isn't right for me_

_And I'll admit_

_It's all in my head_

_But who says it can't be rea_

_lThey may be far away, but I can safely say_

_It doesn't change the way I feel_

_I wanna be a Starship Ranger_

_Even if it might sound strange_

_Maybe now, I'm not a Ranger_

_But all of that is right about to change_

Artie joined his brother, singing the next lines:

_All of your life_

_You've had your head stuck up in the gaseous atmosphere_

_Don't forget that dirt is solid_

_And clouds can disappear _

_When you're an insect_

_You have a purpose, like it or not, from a fly to a flea_

_Need I remind you, leave that stuff behind so you can find what yours can be?_

_'Cause the needs of_

_The many bugs-_

_together they sang:_

_they outweigh the few_

Artie:

_And everybody knows it's just the way it goes_

_And there's nothing you can do_

_You wanna be a Starship Ranger?_

_Discover worlds far and near_

_Who gives a crap about Starship Rangers?_

_The greatest life to live is found right here_

_Now come on! Last one there is a delicious rotten egg! _

All of the Schuester kids knew the song well, so they got on stage and joined in:

_Dirt eater!_

_Exoskeleton Polisher! _

_I wanna build honeycombs!_

_The Bug that ruins your picnic!... _

_A fly on the wall!_

_We've all got a job to do_

_And it's how we all survive_

_By giving our life to the hive_

_'Cause the needs of_

_The many bugs_

_They outweigh the few_

Finn had picked up Kurt for the last lines and carried him off stage.

„Great song choice, little bro." he said and everyone agreed.

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><p>AN: Sorry for the long wait! So much happening right now! Will let you know later. Promise the next chapter will be soon. Might be a little angsty.. thought I'd give you this one for my birthday..lol.<p> 


	36. Chapter 36: High

All my reviewers rock!

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><p>Emma laughed while she tried to catch the little boy jumping up and down on his bed.<p>

"And then I got on stage... they got a real stage in their basement, did I tell you?"

"Yes, honey. You might've mentioned it a couple dozen times." Emma smiled while trying to throw the pyjama top over the boys head and missing.

"They all cheered for me and then Artie joined me and then they all started singing and then…"

"Kurtie" Emma interrupted. "Please breathe and let me help you get ready for bed."

"I don't think I can sleep tonight." Kurt said. "I want to sing some more. Did I tell you Rachel let me sing another song?"

"Oh, really" Emma said while finally being able to dress the boy, even though he had told her a couple of times already.

"Yes, I sang that song from the cookie commercial and then…"

Emma caught the child mid-jump and tried to get him to lay down.

"Do you want to see my choreography?" her son piped up.

"Baby, you really need to calm down now and sleep" the mother tried again.

"But Mommy! I have to tell you about…"

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Will interrupted his youngest son. "Sorry, it took forever to get Artie to go to bed." he whispered to Emma.

"I'm telling mommy about my performance!" Kurt beamed.

"Really?" Will asked not noticing Emma's desperate hand signals.

"Yes! Did you know the Berrys had a stage in their basement?"

"No, I didn't."

"Can we get one?"

"I don't think we have enough room, kiddo."

"But I need to practice." the little boy pouted.

"We will find another way for you to practice, okay?" Emma said running her fingers through her son's soft hair.

"Can I get lessons?" the child asked, struggling to break free from the covers his parents had draped over him.

"We will talk about this tomorrow, honey. Now please go to sleep."

"But I'm not tired." he whined.

"I think we got ourselves another sugar rush." Will said to his wife.

Emma looked at her husband wondering how this had not occurred to her, they had experienced sugar highs with almost all of their children.

"Kurtie, what did you eat and drink at the party?"

"We had cake and candy and cookies and…"

The parents exchanged a look, both of them knew they were in for a long night.

"And then Noah said I was a true ranger and that I'd get to drink like a big boy."

"What did he let you drink, buddy?" Will asked apprehensively.

"Coke." the boy replied.

"He let you drink coke? Caffeinated coke?" Emma shrieked.

"Don't worry, mommy. I made sure it was diet." the child smiled.

Will laughed which earned him a slap from his wife.

"This is not funny." she hissed. "How much coke did you drink, sweetie?"

"A lot." Kurt shrugged. "Can I get ballet lessons?"

"Ballet?" the father asked surprised.

"Mercedes and Rachel both take ballet lessons. Rachel says it is the best training for a career in performing arts."

"Are you sure you would not prefer something else? Baseball maybe?"

"I don't like baseball. They make you wear weird pants."

"Okay. Any sport you'd like?"

"What's wrong with ballet?" the child asked with tears in his eyes.

"Nothing… I just thought…"

"Will." his wife interrupted him and shook her head. She turned back to the boy and gently kissed his rosy cheeks, "We will talk about it tomorrow, baby, but you have to promise to try and sleep now, okay?"

"Can I tell you about my performance again?"

"Of course. Now sleep and dream of being a star, okay."

The older children arrived soon after the parents had finally found their youngest son asleep. He was smiling and hugging the pink ranger tightly, obviously reliving his performance.

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><p>When all of the children had finally gone to sleep and the parents lay in their bed, exhausted from the evening's events, Emma was the one who could not find her peace.<p>

"Will?"

"Yes, darling."

"I just wanted to let you know that I was really disappointed in you today."

"What? Why?"

"You love music, right? And you love singing?"

"Of course I do, you know that. Music is my passion."

"But when our son tells you about wanting to become a performer you recommend baseball."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"How did you mean it?"

"I don't know. It's just… ballet! It's so…"

"So what? Girly? Gay?"

"Emma, you know I'd never…"

"I know, Will. But that little boy down the hall, our son, he doesn't know. He will have to face a lot of people standing in his way. Please make sure his father isn't one of them."

"I promise." Will gulped. "I just don't want him to get hurt."

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><p><em>AN:<em>

_Okay… so this is not the chapter I had originally planned, but I decided to move it back a little._

_Thanks again for all your reviews, messages and alerts. To all those who asked to follow me somehow: I am boylikeme94 on both tumblr and twitter. I don't really post very much but I'll try to get better. I also just got into Pottermore! My user name is AurorSword103 and I'm a Hufflepuff. I don't **find** that surprising at all..lol._

_The song Kurt performed at Rachel's party in the last chapter is called "I wanna be" from the musical Starship, a Team Starkid production, and it was written by Darren Criss. It is very cute and Disney-like._

_The Avenue Q doing Wicked is a a real thing, too. The video can be found on youtube, the performers are Julie Atherton and Simon Lipkin. Julie is the Chenoweth to my Colfer. I gave her a rose once when I was twelve..lol._

_Okay.. That AN is way too long again._


	37. Chapter 37: Father

Thanks for all the reviews!

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><p>Will Schuester sat in the waiting room of Dr. Davies' office trying to pass the time while waiting for his youngest son. He was bored. Unfortunately there are not a lot of things in the waiting room of a child psychologist's office that could keep a grown man occupied. He had gone through most of the comic books and found Waldo numerous times, there were a couple of magazines about horses and ponies that he had left untouched, but he was not quite ready to sink that low yet. He sighed dramatically which earned him the attention of the equally bored receptionist.<p>

"You should've brought a book." she smiled.

Will smiled back, not trusting himself to speak and not be rude to her, he simply was not the type to just sit around. Whenever he took Puck or Santana to their appointments he would just wait for them to go into the office and then spend the next fifty minutes down in the music store around the corner. He was always back in time to pick them up, so even though the kids knew he left, they were okay with it. Kurt, like in so many ways, was different. He usually insisted on his mommy accompanying him to his appointments, but Will wanted to spend more time with the boy and this was just one stop in a long day of just the two of them. The father really felt he had to get closer to his son, he was still jealous of the close connection Emma had with the boy and how he called her "Mommy" all the time. Everybody kept telling him how the boy had accepted him as his father, but he still had not called him dad or daddy to his face. In fact he never called for him, if he needed something he called for his mommy or siblings and it was getting to Will more than he was willing to admit. When they arrived at the doctor's office and the little boy had begged him to stay in the waiting room in case he needed him the father had not been able to refuse. It had felt good to be wanted and even though he would hate to admit it, the small child clinging to him with tears in his eyes because he was afraid he might leave had made him proud. He gad gloated in that pride for the first ten minutes Kurt had been gone, but now he was simply bored out of his mind. Maybe the receptionist was right, he should have brought a book or some papers he still needed to grade. He simply had not thought of this. The last time he had taken Kurt to his appointment he had had Santana there to keep him entertained, but that had been the first time and the boy had made wonderful progress with Dr. Davies' help since then, he liked his therapist, Will had been sure to be able to leave today. The man sighed again and stared at the office door his son had disappeared behind.

"Thirty more minutes." the receptionist supplied. The father did not reply.

He wondered what the boy and Dr. Davies were talking about. Was Kurt still talking about losing his parents? About how much he missed them? Will knew the boy still had the occasional nightmare about the day he found his dead father. They did not come as often anymore, but when they did it shook the poor child for days. Only Emma, Puck and Santana were able to comfort him then. Will wished he knew what to do to earn that kind of trust. He prided himself with being close to his children.

Of course there were Finn and the twins, the children he had raised since they were infants, he could not imagine being any closer to them if they were biologically related. He saw a lot of himself as a teenager in his oldest son. The connection to Santana had been built through speaking Spanish, the latina had been relieved to be able to practice her heritage even after she had lost her family. Puck had been difficult to win over, but Will had found the right way to talk to his son and they were really close now. Artie had been shy but trusting and it had not taken him long to accept Will as his father.

Kurt was different in so many ways it worried the father. He had hoped that connecting to the boy would become easier once he had started to open up and speak, somehow it had only gotten even more difficult. The child loved performing and musicals, something that should have been a great base for their relationship, after all music and performing arts were Will's greatest passions. But where Will had been into break dance, Kurt wanted to take up ballet, and while the father still dreamed of playing the male lead on Broadway, his son preferred to sing the classic diva ballads. The teacher did not think of himself as homophobic, but he was worried about his youngest son, about his future, safety and happiness, but also about how him being gay might influence their relationship. How did one raise a gay child? Will felt quite insecure about this and hated himself for his thoughts and the fact that Emma had been able to call him out on it.

He looked at the office door again. Maybe Dr. Davies would be able to give him some advice? He got so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice the time pass anymore and was surprised when the door opened and Kurt walked out.

"Hey buddy." Will said approaching his son. "Is everything okay?"

The boy's eyes were rimmed red which made the father think he had been crying, but they were dry now and the child smiled at him.

"Everything's fine."

Will checked the time just to make sure the boy had not left his appointment early. He was still confused about how the last thirty minutes had gone by so much faster than the first ten. He took a deep breath and made his decision.

"Can you go wait for me in the waiting room for a minute?" he asked his son, gently squeezing his shoulder. "There's something I want to ask Dr. Davies."

"Okay" the little boy replied making a bee-line towards the newest Waldo book.

When Will knocked and entered the office he found the doctor not the slightest bit surprised.

"Mr. Schuester, how nice to see you." the Welsh woman smiled.

Will wondered if he had heard the slightest bit of an accusation in her voice. Did he really let Emma take care of this kind of stuff too much?

"Thank you." he replied. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute."

"Of course. Why don't you take a seat."

The father sat down in a giant green chair and looked at the woman expectantly, for some reason he hoped she would be the one starting the conversation, but of course she did not.

"Uhm… I was wondering. How's Kurt doing?" he finally asked.

"He's doing just fine. He is a very bright kid. Full of energy."

Will smiled, this was certainly a good way to describe the little boy.

"That's great. So... there's like nothing we need to worry about?"

"Mr. Schuester, I've had a long day and I've been trained to read children, not grown men. Why don't you just tell me exactly what's bothering you."

Will felt uneasy under her gaze and wondered how much about only being able to read children was true.

"It's about Kurt. We're a little worried about him. He's so different from our other children."

"Your wife never seemed worried to me."

"Okay… well… maybe I'm a little more worried than she is."

"And what exactly is worrying you?"

"You see… I was wondering… do you think he might be gay?" Will blushed.

Rhiannon Davies just looked at him for what felt like a very long time, like she was trying to phrase her words carefully.

"Kurt is only eight years old, Mr. Schuester. As a person who deals with a lot of children I can assure you he is as innocent as they get. Why would you worry about this stuff right now?"

"I don't know. I just worry about him. I don't know how to raise a gay child."

Dr. Davies blinked at that statement, almost like she knew something Will did not, but before he could think about it she began to speak.

"Would it change anything about the way you feel for him if Kurt was gay?" she asked.

"No! Of course not! Not at all!" the man answered.

"Well, then you have your answer, Mr. Schuester. You raise a gay child just like you raise your other ones. With as much love as you are able to give."

As Will left the office he felt better even though his questions had not been answered, he knew it was too early to worry about this stuff and that when the time would come he would be prepared simply because he loved all of is children.

"Come on, buddy." he said to Kurt. "I think I promised you some ice cream."

The little boy ran over smiling and took his father's hand.

* * *

><p>When they left the building and Will turned to walk to the park Kurt stopped him.<p>

"Can't we go to the mall first? We need to get my ballet slippers before they close." he whined.

The parents had had a long discussion about their youngest wanting to take up ballet, as with all of their children's interests they were worried about the relation between passion and costs. They could not afford any expensive hobbies, especially not when the children were only interested in them for a very limited amount of time. Like when Brittany had gotten very serious about horseback riding and they had invested in a shared pony, only for her to discover her passion for the flute a few weeks after. Puck had insisted on taking up kick boxing until he discovered most of the other kids were bigger and stronger than him. Santana had been fascinated by knitting for a whole twenty-four hours. Sam had accidentally blown up his science kit after only four days. Artie had been dead serious about archery for a whole two weeks. Finn and his drums were the only success story so far. That is why the Schuesters encouraged their sons and daughters to join school clubs, but of course the elementary school did not offer ballet. So after debating it for quite some time they had deemed it too expensive - until Emma had mentioned it in a phone call to her mother. Victoria had been thrilled that one of the children showed some interest in the "finer arts" and had sent a cheque shortly after. Both parents knew she had a soft spot for Kurt and would have probably not done this for one of the other kids. They did not dare refuse the offer though and that's how the little boy had been enrolled in Mercedes' ballet class. The teacher had been ecstatic to have a boy join her group.

That is how Will Schuester found himself in a shop picking out ballet slippers for his son and deliberately ignoring the clerk's curious gaze. Kurt was happy and that was all that counted.

"They're perfect." the little boy beamed.

The father smiled at seeing his child so happy. It had taken him ages to get his oldest sons to perform with the glee club, somehow he felt it would not take too much convincing for his youngest son to join. He paid for the shoes and it felt weird to spend his mother-in-law's money, he had to remind himself that he was doing it for Kurt.

"Ready for that ice cream now?"

"Yes!" the little boy jumped up and down and clapped his hands excitedly.

They left the mall and got their ice cream at Will's favourite place in the park. They sat down on a bench and Will noticed a father and son throwing a ball not too far from them. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had four sons to practice guy stuff with, if Kurt was different - then so be it. He smiled at the little boy who gave him the brightest smile in return. This was a really good day for the two of them.

Suddenly a ringtone interrupted the little bonding moment.

"Sorry, buddy," Will said before answering his phone and speaking quietly.

When he finished talking Kurt looked at him with wide eyes, probably expecting a message from his mother or siblings.

"That was the garage." Will explained. "They have a question about a spare part for the car that was in the accident."

Kurt's eyes got even wider, the thought of almost losing one of his brothers or father still scared him.

"Would you mind if we stopped by and solved this really quickly?" the father asked. "This is our special day after all."

"It's okay." the little boy replied hugging the box with his new shoes.

* * *

><p>They arrived at the garage shortly after and Will was asked to wait while one of the mechanics went to look for the boss. Suddenly he felt Kurt's hand go limp inside his own.<p>

"Are you okay, kiddo?" he asked his son, but the little boy just stared past him.

Will followed the child's gaze. He seemed to be looking at a mechanic at the other end of the garage, a guy of medium height with broad shoulders, who looked about mid-thirty. The man had his back turned to them as he took off his baseball cap and ran a hand over his bald head. Will turned his head to look at his son again, the boy seemed to be whispering something.

"What are you saying, buddy?" he asked slightly worried.

"Daddy." the child said a little louder but still barely audible.

"What?" Will asked feeling his heart beat a little faster.

"Daddy." the boy repeated and before his father could react he had pulled his small hand out of his and was running towards the stranger. "Daddy!"


	38. Chapter 38: Flashback

**WARNING: This chaper contains some detailed descriptions of Kurt finding Burt after his suicide. If you're squeamish or don't like blood, don't read anything between the second and third line break on this page. First line break follows this.**

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><p>Kurt's heart beat so fast he thought it was going to burst out of his chest. So many thoughts were rushing through his mind that instead of being able to grasp a single one he could only hear them form a kind of electric humming in his head. He was running as fast as he could and it still felt like slow motion to him. He could hear his foster father call out for him, but he was not able to make out the words. All he knew was that he needed to get to his Daddy and everything would be okay.<p>

Right as the child was about to reach his goal the bald mechanic turned around, wiping greasy fingers on the front of his overalls and looking down at the boy in front of him in surprise.

"Anything I can do for you, kid?" he asked in a gruff voice.

Kurt froze. Something seemed to shatter deep inside of him. This was not his daddy. Of course not, his daddy was dead.

* * *

><p>And then he was walking down his street again, wiping away angry tears because Kieran Conroy had spilled paint all over the picture Kurt had been drawing for his father. A picture of Kurt and his parents back when they were still happy, before mommy got ill and had to sleep all the time. Before she died and it was just the two of them. He had not dared to cry on the bus because he knew it would make him a target, but now he let the tears fall freely. He had planned on giving the picture to his daddy on father's day. It had been a really good drawing, one that was sure to get a special place on the fridge and Kurt was upset because he had been looking forward to seeing his daddy smile. His daddy never smiled anymore.<p>

He walked up to his house and across the porch, taking the chain from around his neck and carefully inserting the key into the lock. His mommy had always told him she would never allow him to become one of these children that had to carry a key around their neck, she felt sorry for those kids because they had no one to come home to. She promised to always be waiting for her baby and she had, for many years she had been waiting for Kurt on the porch, with a bright smile on her face. She would announce what musical they were going to watch that day and then they would eat together and afterwards they would sing and dance while cleaning up. Kurt loved it when his mommy lifted him up to reach the top shelves and then swung him around laughing carelessly. They both knew all their musical DVDs and Cds by heart. Kurt wished his mommy were waiting for him on the other side of that door, but he knew he was going to be alone. No music or laughter to fill his home.

He entered and toed his shoes off his small feet, leaving them by the door. He dropped his school bag by the dining table, where he would do his homework later. If it was a good day he might be able to get his daddy to help him. He walked into the kitchen and got himself a glass of water. His daddy's coffee cup still sat on the counter and the little boy decided to clean it, because a clean kitchen would surely make his daddy happy. He knew there was some food left for him in the fridge. There was a sandwich and milk and his father had bought new cookies for the jar on the kitchen counter. It was shaped like a bear and made a funny noise when you opened it to take a cookie out, Little Kurt had been scared of it at first, but that had been ages ago.

He decided against the food, he could wait a little bit longer and have dinner with his daddy when he got home from work. He grabbed the glass of water and tiptoed into the living room. He was going to find his mommy's favourite musical and fill the quiet house with some songs. He did not make it to the entertainment centre before he stepped into something wet. He looked at his glass of water curiously. Did the glass leak? Had he spilled some water without noticing it? There was no sign of a leak and he had been careful carrying it.

Kurt lifted his foot and stared at it in wonder. His white sock had turned a deep shade of red around his toes. He looked back to the floor and for the first time noticed the puddle of thick red liquid. Furrowing his brows he followed the puddle with his eyes. His heart stopped. There was a body lying in the puddle. His daddy was lying in this puddle! The father was lying perfectly still and Kurt knew that must mean he was hurt, because the puddle was cold and there was no way his daddy would like lying down in a cold, sticky puddle in his living room.

"Daddy!" he cried out and ran to his father.

Something was wrong. Something was really really wrong. His daddy did not respond.

"Daddy, please!" the little boy begged.

He dropped to his knees next to his father's motionless frame. That's when he saw it. His daddy was not sleeping and he was not just hurt. His father was definitely dead. A large part of his head was missing, splattered across the floor and his favourite armchair. There was a lot of blood, but the flow had stopped long ago. Burt Hummel was gone. His eyes were open, but staring into nothingness.

Kurt was not stupid. He knew his daddy could not hear or see him anymore.

"Why?" he sobbed. "Please don't leave me! I don't want to be alone!"

He crawled up to his father and hid his face in the man's broad chest. He immediately missed the warmth that would normally radiate from it. He wrapped his small arms around his father's body as well as he could. If daddy could not keep himself warm anymore, than Kurt would just have to do it for him.

He held on tightly crying for what felt like hours, until he finally drifted off to sleep. The phone ringing woke him up a few hours later, but he did not answer it, that would mean letting go of his daddy and he just could not do that. He had to pee but he did not dare get up for that either. He knew it was gross, but he was scared to find his father gone if he let go of the body. Maybe God would come and take him away? Or maybe angels did that? He knew his mommy had been lowered into the earth at the funeral, but how had she gotten there? Maybe they would not do that to his daddy if he just held on long enough? Maybe God would see how much he needed him, how much he was willing to sacrifice, maybe he would have some sympathy and make everything okay again?

Time had lost all meaning by the time the doorbell chimed. Maybe it was a delivery guy. Had they ordered anything? Maybe it was God. But would God not have a key?

Later Kurt thought he heard voices, but they were muffled and he could not make out what they said. Were they calling for him? There was a bang and he could hear the door open. More voices and footsteps. Kurt clung even tighter, he could not allow them to take his daddy away.

He heard a shocked gasp and more footsteps. He tried to hide his face, maybe if he ignored them they would go away.

"The boy is alive!" someone yelled.

Large hands grabbed him and tore him away from his daddy.

Kurt screamed, he screamed and cried and begged for what felt like hours. And then he just stopped. He stopped and nobody would hear a word from him in a long time.

* * *

><p>"Kurt!" he heard the voice of his foster father. "Kurt!"<p>

The voice was muffled like coming from another room. Or like the voice of his mother when Kurt practiced holding his breath in the bath tub for too long and she got nervous.

"Kurt! Breathe!"

Yes, exactly like those times in the bath tub. He did not feel wet though. He tried to take a shallow breath and it worked. He was not under water. Maybe he was trapped in a bubble, at least it would explain his foster father's blurry features in front of him. Yes, that must be it. Somehow he got caught in a bubble.

He heard more muffled voices and then he was raised into a pair of warm arms and carried away. Where were they carrying him? He had to tell them where to go.

"I want my Mommy!" he cried.

"Shhh… it's gonna be okay." was the muffled reply.

Kurt did not notice being in a car until he was pulled from it. Those strong arms were carrying him again, softly rubbing his back the whole time. Reassurances were whispered but he could not make them out from inside his bubble. He was carried inside a house.

"Emma!" a desperate voice rang out. "Emma!"

Emma? That was mommy's name. Somebody was calling mommy. She would know what to do. She would get Kurt out of this stupid bubble.

And then arms wrapped around him and the bubble burst. Kurt could see and hear and breathe. But it was not his mommy who was holding him now, it was his brother.

"Shhh, ranger. It's gonna be okay." Noah said holding the shaking boy in his arms. "What happened?" he asked his father.

"I don't know. I took him to the garage and…"

"You took him to a garage?" Puck was barely able to swallow the "Are you stupid?" that would have followed.

Will fisted his hair, he was not going to defend himself in front of a fifteen year old.

"Where's your mother?" he asked instead.

"She has that meeting with the pamphlet people."

Oh no! Will had completely forgotten about that.

"Call Dr. Davies." Santana's voice came from beside him.

Yes! Of course! Will turned around not quite sure how to make that call.

"I'll do it." the latina said.

The father looked around. His two oldest sons were fussing over the crying child, Santana was on the house phone, while Artie was on his mobile, trying to reach his mother. Sam had just left through the porch door, was he getting Sue Sylvester? How come these children knew what to do and he felt so helpless? His knees gave way and he dropped onto the couch.

"It's not your fault." Brittany said taking his hand.

He looked at her questioningly.

"I know it get's scary when he cries like that." she continued. "But he needs his daddy now. Go be his daddy."

Will swallowed hard and got up to walk over to the crying child. He took him from Puck's arms and rocked him gently in his own.

"It's okay, son." he whispered. "It's gonna be okay. I promise. I got you."

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><p><em>AN: Please don't hate me!<em>


	39. Chapter 39: Father II

AN: Thanks for your reviews!

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><p>By the time Dr. Davies arrived Kurt had completely exhausted himself and passed out. Puck carried him to bed and Santana tucked him in while Will talked to the psychologist. She assured him that while flashbacks were a scary thing for both the patients and their families, they were an important part of recovery. Kurt had to accept what had happened to him in order to move on. She did scold Will for taking the child to a place where every sight and smell was destined to trigger his memories, but she was not too mean about it.<p>

"He needs you now." were her last words before waving goodbye.

Will waved back, holding the prescription for some stronger anti-anxiety meds in his hand. He sighed looking at it, he did not feel like drugging his child.

He explained everything to Emma when she finally got home. She, too, made him feel like an idiot for taking Kurt to the garage and spent a long time sitting at her sleeping son's bedside stroking his hair. Will knew that almost everyone was blaming him for what had happened, but nobody could possibly be more angry with him than he was himself.

And that is what he was still thinking about as he was lying awake in bed at two in the morning. Had his ignorance harmed his child? Was he going to blame him for it, too? He decided to go and check on the little boy, but when he got to the room only Sam was there sleeping soundly. Kurt's bed was empty. A wave of panic hit the father. Then he remembered how the boy would sometimes sneak off to the bathroom to write in his nightmare diary. Will tip-toed to the bathroom and opened the door carefully.

"Hi." he said when he spotted his youngest child.

"Hi." Kurt whispered back from his place on the bathroom rug.

The little boy was even paler that usual, something nobody would have deemed possible. His eyes were rimmed red and he looked especially small and vulnerable.

"Are you okay?" Will asked, immediately hating himself for asking such a stupid question.

Kurt just nodded looking at the man with wide eyes.

"Are you writing in your diary?"

The boy shook his head, closing the little notebook.

"I can't concentrate. My head hurts from crying."

"Do you want me to get you some medicine?"

"No. I just wish I could get some fresh air. It smells in here."

"Do you think Finn was in here last?" Will asked, wrinkling his nose.

The little boy giggled, holding his own nose.

"Come on. I have an idea." the father said.

He took Kurt by his small hand and led him downstairs. He helped him put his shoes and jacket on and wrapped him in two of the warm blankets that covered the backs of couches. Then he opened the door to the backyard and carried his son outside. It was an unusually warm night for March and they had a full moon. He sat down on one of the swings, cradling the boy in his arms.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yeah." Kurt breathed giving the man a small smile in return. "I'm really sorry for scaring you today." he whispered.

"Don't blame yourself. None of what happened today was your fault, Kurtie. It was my fault for taking you to a place where every smell or sound was sure to remind you of your father."

Kurt inhaled sharply at the mention of his dad.

"My daddy was a mechanic." he whispered.

"I know. Would you like to tell me about him?"

Will held Kurt's gaze for a minute until the boy made up his mind and nodded slowly. He told his foster father about his daddy, the best mechanic in the world. How he always smelled like motor oil and how his mommy would scold him when he got greasy finger prints on their furniture at home. Of course he had told all these stories to his new family before, when he was showing them his photo albums, but today was different. Today the little boy did not only tell the happy memories.

The little boy cried, shaking violently when he told his foster father about how lonely he had been. His mommy and daddy had been the only people he could rely on. At school he had had no friends, the boys thought of him as a girly freak and the girls… well, they saw him as a boy and could not risk catching his cooties. And then the only two people who had been there for him all his life, showering him with their love, they had both been taken away from him. It had been slow and agonising with his mom, it had been horrible to watch her suffer for such a long time, her coma almost came as a relief. At least she was not in pain anymore. Her death had not hurt any less though.

Losing his father had been unexpected, he had been sad and withdrawn for quite some time, but Kurt had not known you could die from sadness. When the man had taken his life and the little boy had found him in that horrible state, it had broken something inside Kurt and he was still scared that it would never heal.

"What if I'm broken?" he asked his new father.

"You're not broken, buddy. What makes you think that?"

"I cry all the time and I get scared in crowds and around strangers. The boys in gym class say I'm a freak because I carry the ranger everywhere."

Will took a look at the worn action figure the little boy was clutching even now.

"There's nothing wrong with holding on to something that means a lot to you."

"They tease me because it's pink. I like pink."

"Nothing wrong with that either." Will said, wondering if he was saying it to the child or himself.

"I'm scared." the little boy whispered.

"Kurtie, if those boys in school harm you in any way you tell a teacher, okay? And then you get Artie and call us and me or your mother will be there as soon as we can:"

"I'm not scared of the boys… well, maybe a little bit… but there's something that scares me worse." the child whispered, his lower lip trembling.

"Do you trust me enough to tell me?" the father asked.

Kurt thought for a second and took a deep breath before nodding.

"I'm so scared of being alone again."

"I promise you will never be alone again, buddy. You got me and your mother, all your siblings, Mercedes and her family, the Berrys, Sue and Becky, Mike and Tina, Dr. Davies. You got uncle Donnie - hey, you even got Grandma Victoria. That's a whole lot of people who love you and will be there for you."

He hugged the little boy a little closer while the child tried to process the number of people he had in his life now.

"So you won't send me back?" Kurt asked, a sound of surprise in his voice.

"Send you back?" Will was quite shocked.

"The boys at the home said that new parents can send you back when you're too much trouble. Most do it in the first year. My first year is almost over."

The father had to swallow hard at the whispered confession.

"Kurtie, there's no way we're ever going to send you back. We love you."

"Really?"

"Of course we do. You brought so much happiness to us. You draw the best pictures and help mommy bake the greatest cookies. The girls love to take you shopping and the boys love being big brothers and teaching you things. You're the only one who gets Noah to open up when he's sulking or gets Santana to calm down after her temper tantrums."

"I'm a good son?" Kurt asked not yet quite convinced.

"The best." Will replied kissing his nose and making him giggle. "Besides, if we were to ask for a refund on any of you it would be Finn. That boy is going to eat us out of house and home one day!"

Kurt looked up shocked until he saw the father wink at him and giggled. Will hugged the little boy even tighter and looked up towards the house. Emma was standing at their bedroom window smiling down at him, he did not dare to raise a hand and wave, so he simply smiled back.

"Ready to go back to bed?" he asked his son.

"Okay." the little boy replied failing at trying to hide a yawn.

The father carried his son inside, helped him take off the jacket and shoes and then carried him up to bed. He tucked the boy in and kissed his forehead.

"Sweet dreams, son." he said.

"Thanks, daddy." Kurt whispered back, already half asleep.

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><p><em>AN: So will got two chapters in a row. Who do you want to see more of in the next chapter? And no, it's not time for Blaine yet!<em>


	40. Chapter 40: nine

AN: _Thanks for all the reviews!_

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><p>Will Schuester smiled as he absentmindedly ran his fingers through his wife's soft, ginger hair. It was a warm and sunny day in May and they were snuggled together on their porch swing. Will was sitting up, keeping the swing moving gently with his legs, Emma had curled up beside him, resting her head in his lap. When Lord Tubbington jumped up to sit beside her she laughed.<p>

"Are you a jealous kitty?" she asked.

"Must've heard you purring." Will grinned.

"I didn't hear you complain." his wife replied, petting the fat cat.

They really had nothing to complain about. The last two months had been very good ones for the family. Kurt had not had any more flashbacks,. He still had the occasional nightmare, as did Noah, Santana and Artie, but overall he seemed to be a far more relaxed and happy child. Most importantly he knew he could rely on his new parents and siblings, so he asked for help when he needed it.

There had been some tiny setbacks like during the Easter holidays. It was Kurt's first Easter with his new family and he had not quite known what to expect, at home Easter meant his parents hiding some chocolates around the living room and cheering for him when he found them. At the Schuester household the Easter egg hunt resembled a stampede. Seven kids stormed the large garden when Emma gave the signal with her silk scarf. The little boy had found a meagre two eggs when he realised he had no chance against his older siblings, all of whom knew the garden and the best hiding places so much better than him, their baskets already looked loaded. He dropped his own little basket and sat on the porch steps pouting.

"Kurtie, why are you not looking for your Easter eggs?" his mother asked.

"I don't want to. It's stupid!" he hissed, stomping his feet.

"Are you sure? You seemed quite excited about it yesterday." his father said wrapping an arm around him.

"I'm no good." the child cried.

The parents looked at each other with worried eyes, but before they could think of something to say to comfort the boy another voice interrupted them.

"Hey ranger! Come over here and help us find those eggs!" Noah called.

Kurt looked up.

"Yes, come on bro! We need your help!"

The six older Schuester children were standing in the garden facing the porch., not a single one of them had more than two eggs in their basket.

"Help us find the bunnies, Kurtie!" Brittany smiled at her little brother.

The little boy furrowed his brows, he could see lots of eggs and chocolate bunnies just from where he was sitting. He knew his siblings were not that blind or stupid and he was sure their baskets had been full just one minute ago. Did they do this because they felt sorry for him? Did he really want to be the boy who needed their sympathy on an Easter egg hunt? He did not want to be a charity case. But before he could return to pouting Sam had reached the porch and held his hand out to his little brother. Kurt looked at the older boy and in his eyes he could not see sympathy, he saw love. His siblings truly cared about him. He grabbed his brother's hand and joined the older children again. Soon the garden was filled with laughter and the parents shared a very relieved kiss on the porch.

Emma smiled at the memory, they were raising truly wonderful children.

Truly wonderful and very noisy children who were currently chasing each other through the garden. Rachel, Quinn, Matt, Mike, Tina, Becky and Mercedes had joined them and they seemed to have a very complicated version of tag going on. Kurt and Mercedes were chasing the older kids, sweat shining on the little boy's forehead, his cheeks flaming red.

"Finn!" the mother called to her oldest son who was passing the porch at that moment.

"Yes, mom?"

"Could you please go a little easier on the little ones? You're completely exhausting them!"

"But mom! That's sort of the whole point!" the boy replied.

"Uhm… what?" Will asked.

"Well… you know how it's Kurt's birthday in a few weeks?"

Both parents nodded, of course they knew.

"We figured it's about time to start planning, so we thought if we make him really tired today and wait until he's in bed, we could have a talk about it." Finn smiled proudly at his idea.

"Son, you don't have to drill him like that to have a private conversation. His bedtime is way before yours!"

"We know! But he barely ever stays asleep in his own bed! When there's a scary noise he climbs in with Sam, when he has a nightmare he either goes to the bathroom to write it down, or he wants to stay with mom, or he goes to Puck or the girls. Sometimes he goes and plays video games with Artie."

The parents exchanged a look. It was true, there youngest son had become quite a traveller at night.

"Then there's the sleepwalking…" Finn continued.

Emma bit her lower lip, this was the one thing that still really worried her, the little boy had started sleepwalking not too long ago. Everyone tried to assure her it was not dangerous and the child really did not do anything bad, he would often be in the dining room setting the table, or eating on the couch, playing with the cat. One time they had all woken up to the sound of him playing piano. It still scared her that her son was so restless even when he was asleep.

"We see your point." the father said. "But we really think you've tired him out enough. Go a bit easier on him, okay?"

Finn grinned and was just about to agree when something hit his back and threw him off balance for a second.

"Got you!" Kurt beamed clinging onto his brother after the rather impressive tackle.

"You sure did!" the older brother agreed with a smile. "Let's team up on Puck!"

And with that they raced off giggling loudly, leaving their laughing parents behind.

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><p>At dinner the older children's plan proved to be working perfectly. Kurt sat slumped in his chair, barely able to keep his eyes open. Being the stubborn boy that he is, he still made it through another two hours of yawning widely, but refusing to go to bed whenever a family member was brave enough to suggest it.<p>

When he was finally sleeping soundly in his bed the family met up in the living room.

"Welcome to our very first annual Kurt's birthday party planning session." Artie announced.

The parents smiled at each other and let the kids go ahead with being in charge.

"Sam, Santana and Brittany." Artie continued "You're in charge of present ideas. What do you have so far?"

"A puppy!" Brittany beamed.

"Brit, you've suggested a puppy for every single birthday present we needed in the last two years. Are you sure it's your little brother and not you who wants a dog?" Emma asked.

"Lord Tubbington gets lonely when we're at school." The blonde pouted.

"I bet he would strangle the puppy if we got one." Puck snorted, earning himself a gasp from Brittany and a glare from his father.

"Most cats don't like dogs Brit-Brit." Santana tried to comfort her sister.

"Lord Tubbington does! He told me!" the other girl pouted.

"We will put it on the list." Sam said to calm his twin.

"Other ideas?" Artie asked.

"Tap shoes."

Everyone looked at Puck like he had lost his mind.

"What?" Finn asked.

"The other night we were talking, the ranger said how he was getting really bored with ballet and would like to take up tap. He's gonna need tap shoes." Noah shrugged.

Will and Emma exchanged a glance. So yet another one of their children had grown out of a hobby.

"Put them on the list." they sighed. "Anything else?"

"I bet he'd like more arts and crafts stuff." Finn added. "He used most of the beads and things."

Everyone nodded and it was added to the list.

"What about a theme for the party?" Emma asked.

"Broadway." the six kids answered in unison.

"I already asked Rachel." Finn supplied. "She's gonna help with everything."

Some of them groaned, but they knew the girl would be very helpful.

* * *

><p>When the day for Kurt Hummel's ninth birthday party rolled around everyone was there to help and while the birthday boy and his best friend Mercedes were twirling in their ballet class, his siblings and friends were busy slaving away under Rachel Berry's watchful eyes.<p>

"I still don't get what it is supposed to be." Brittany whined while raising herself off the small garden path, her face and hands were covered in bright chalk dust.

"I've explained it a dozen times." Rachel replied putting her hands on her hips. "It's the yellow brick road!"

They had decided to decorate the house and garden using themes from Kurt's favourites musicals and Rachel had jumped at the chance of telling everyone what to do. This party seemed to be as much a present to her as it was supposed to be for the little boy.

The Schuester family knew that all the hard work had been worth it when they caught the look on the face of the little boy when he entered the house.

"Oh my! This looks just like in The Sound of Music and that's from Mary Poppins!" he beamed, just to begin squealing when he realised Lord Tubbington looked just like Rum Tum Tugger from Cats.

Will and Emma had dressed according to the Sound of Music theme, which made the boy smile again as he accepted their warm hugs. He looked at Mercedes and her mother who had driven him home.

"Did you know about this?" he asked his friend.

"Of course!" she grinned

"But you can never keep secrets!" he accused.

"I can when it's important!" Mercedes pouted, crossing her arms.

Brittany and Santana joined them at that moment, both on roller skates and dressed like they came straight from Starlight Express. Kurt was in awe. They led him to the porch, because the main party was supposed to be held outside.

"Wicked!" the boy squealed when he saw the decorations, making Rachel smile proudly in her trademark Elphaba costume. She helped him into his Fiyero uniform.

"Ready to check out your presents lil bro?" Sam asked looking stunning in his amazing technicolor coat.

Kurt nodded and giggled as he just noticed Puck in his Voldemort costume with Finn strapped to his back as Mr. Quirrel. The two were struggling to move as neither wanted to let the other one lead. The first present he opened was a huge new arts and crafts kit.

"Yay!" he cheered. "Mercedes! Look!"

The girl, who was now dressed as Zazu from the Lion King jumped up and down next to Artie who was obviously supposed to be Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors and was currently sulking because both Tina and Mike had dressed as characters from Grease.

"Open the next one." Quinn said, looking beautiful as Sophie from Mamma Mia. Santana did not even pretend not to stare.

Kurt continued to open his presents which included Cds, DVDs and even a pair of tickets to see a musical at the community theatre. The little boy smiled at the Berry family knowing exactly where those had come from. There was also a number of bow ties in different colours. He could hardly believe just how many presents there were. When he reached the last one the whole family was smiling at him.

"Open it, ranger!" Noah encouraged him.

The little boy opened the box, revealing a pair of black, shiny shoes.

"Tap shoes!" he was beyond excited.

"We already talked to the dance school." his mother said. "They'll allow you to switch from ballet to tap if you really want to."

"Yes!" he jumped up and down.

"Is it time for the cake now?" Finn asked from under his turban.

Everybody laughed and sat down to eat. Kurt and Puck had a few play-fights as Puck kept changing the marzipan nine on the cake into a six, but it was finally solved by Finn simply snatching it out of their hands and eating it. When they were all munching away on cake and cookies, chatting happily or discussing which songs they were going to sing later, as the Berrys had again brought their karaoke machine, the doorbell rang.

"Who could this be?" Emma asked.

"Everyone I know is already here:" Kurt replied, following his mother to the door.

When the woman opened it they found themselves staring at a delivery man.

"I got a delivery for Kurt Hummel." the man said.

The boy did not reply, choosing to hide behind his mother instead. Emma signed for him and carried the heavy package inside.

"What is it? Who's it from?" his siblings were wondering.

"I don't know." he replied.

"Open it!" Mercedes demanded.

Emma and Will helped their youngest son, who was struggling with the large present. When he was finally able to open it he gasped.

"What is it?" Brittany asked.

"It's a sewing machine." Emma answered for her speechless son.

"Who did it come from?" they all wondered and looked at Will who was holding a card.

"Happy Birthday from your grandmother Victoria." he read.

* * *

><p><em>AN: okay, so this took forever to write and then the website wouldn't let me upload and now I'm so tired that I just wanna say sorry for all the mistakes.<em>

_I think there's gonna be one more chapter in this timeline and then I'm going to jump ahead a bit. I'm running out of ideas for little Kurt. There's definitely going to be an age 10 chapter and then I wanna jump to 12 and focus on his identity struggle for a chapter or two. Then we are moving to 14 and will stay there for a bit._

_I can't believe I'm still writing this! I've made it to 40 chapters! Over 360 awesome reviews! Pretty cool for a boy who never wanted to write anything and only started this cuz it got stuck in his head._

_I've also just started my second story. it is called The Hunger Games and based on the book by the same name. It is not a crossover though, all characters will be Glee or OC with Kurt and Blaine as the protagonists and Sue as the villain. It is going to be very dark, so nothing like this one. Second chapter will go up some time on Sunday._

_Thanks again for all your messages and reviews! I know I suck at answering questions in reviews, so feel free to send messages on here or tumblr if I'm confusing you._


	41. Chapter 41: ONE

_This is not the end!_

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><p>Kurt woke up to some shuffling noises and whispering going on around him. Just a couple of months ago this would have totally freaked him out and sent him into a panic, but living with six older siblings did make you less afraid of noisiness and weird situations in general. He was still sleepy so he tried to ignore the commotion and hid his face in his pillow, taking a deep breath. Okay, definitely not his pillow, this one smelled a lot like Noah. He remembered sneaking into his brothers' room the night before, he had been anxious about gym class again and went and talked to Puck and Finn about it until he was too tired to go back to his own room. He shrugged it off and burrowed his face deeper into the pillow, Noah really did not mind him staying here as long as he did not go through his things, they had had a few arguments about that, but Kurt soon learned to accept his brother's privacy. There was so much to learn about living with siblings, but he thought he was doing quite well. He groaned when the whispering started again.<p>

"Come on, ranger. We know you're awake." Puck said.

"Yeah, don't leave us hanging, bro!" Sam added.

The little boy opened one eye to take a careful look at what was going on. His whole family was standing around the bed, all of them grinning like mad men. Kurt was confused. His birthday had been weeks ago, so they could not possibly be here to wake him with a birthday serenade and cake. They had done that for Artie just a week ago. He looked at them sleepily, suppressing a yawn, no cake was to be seen.

"What's going on?" he asked rubbing his tired eyes with his fists. "Is this about Noah's secret magazines? Cause I swear I didn't touch them!"

"Wait… what?"

"Noah!"

The parents tried to act shocked while most of the kids were giggling and Finn kept mouthing "Where?" at his blushing room mate.

"This is not about any magazines." Will was the first to regain his composure.

Kurt still looked up confused at his smiling family.

"Happy Anniversary!" they all cheered.

The little boy blushed and offered his family a smile, too much attention still left him feeling a little shy.

"You came to live with us a whole year ago today, baby." Emma said, pulling her youngest into a warm hug. "And we're really glad to have you."

Everyone agreed and the little boy received seven more hugs and some kisses from his two sisters.

"Thank you." he whispered, still a little overwhelmed.

"Now who's ready for some breakfast?" Will asked his children.

The older kids all cheered and Finn led the stampede downstairs, the father followed them shaking his head, but smiling.

"You okay, Kurtie?" the mother asked her son, sitting next to him on the bed and brushing a strand of hair out of his forehead.

"I just can't believe it's been a whole year." he replied.

"I know. It all kind of rushed by, didn't it?"

He nodded and cuddled up close, allowing her to kiss his hair.

"Are you happy, baby?" the mother asked.

"Yes." he whispered, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Is there anything special you would like to do today? We could go to the mall after school, if you want."

The little boy thought about it for a minute and took a deep breath.

"There's one thing…" he started, but hesitated to continue.

"What is it, sweetie?"

He looked down and shook his head, he could not ask for this.

"You can tell me." Emma said.

The little boy steeled himself and raised himself up on his knees. He put a hand to his mother's ear and then whispered to her, even though there was no one else around.

Emma thought about her son's request for a minute.

"I think it is a good idea, Kurtie. We can go right after school if you want to. Would you like any of your siblings to come along?"

Now it was Kurt's turn to think. He bit his lower lip in concentration.

"Artie." he answered finally.

"Okay. Then I will pick the two of you up from school and we can go directly from there." the woman said hugging her son. "Now should we go and see if there's any breakfast left?"

Kurt giggled and they went downstairs.

* * *

><p>Emma parked the car and looked at her two sons. She had always kind of known this day would come, but it still made her a little nervous. She had talked to Dr. Davies about it and the woman had assured her that this was nothing to be afraid of, that it was another important step in Kurt's recovery. She looked at the little boy, who was sitting next to his brother in the backseat, clutching the pink ranger and a bunch of white lilies, which they had picked up on their way over.<p>

"Are you ready?"

The pale boy nodded, obviously not trusting his voice enough to speak. He got out of the car, waiting for his mother to help his brother. The three of them slowly walked up the path. When they reached their destination Emma and Artie stopped.

"Go ahead, baby." the woman told her youngest son, gently nudging him forward.

Kurt slowly walked the last few steps approaching a simple tombstone "Elizabeth and Burt Hummel - loving parents" was all it said.

"Hi mommy and daddy." he whispered kneeling down, resting the flowers against the stone. "I miss you."

He glanced back at Emma and Artie, who still kept their distance.

"I live with a new family now. They're really nice. I have a new mommy - she's right over there - and a new daddy, he's a teacher and he's teaching me to play piano - I bet you would've liked that, mommy. I'm gonna learn all your favourite songs. I got six siblings now. Can you believe that? SIX! Four brothers and two sisters. They're all older than me. Artie over there is the youngest. His original mommy and daddy are in heaven too, so I thought he would understand why I wanted to visit you. Maybe you know them? If you see them tell them that Artie is okay. We're taking good care of each other, but I bet you know that. I bet you're watching us all the time. Then you know all my new siblings. Sam is the blonde boy, he shares a room with me. He's really nice and he knows everything about every movie ever made. My sisters are called Brittany and Santana, Brit is Sam's twin and she always has the funniest ideas for new games. Santana can kill people with her looks but she is actually really nice, she always knows when I'm sad and she can almost always make it better. Then there's Noah, he is the best big brother ever and we can talk about everything, he never treats me like a baby. He shares his room with Finn, he is the oldest and really tall, he eats all the time - maybe that's why. We also have a really fat cat called Lord Tubbington, Brittany says he wants a puppy but I don't think he likes anything but eating. Do you think a cat could eat a puppy?"

Kurt looked at Emma and Artie again, both gave him encouraging smiles.

"I have friends now, too. Real friends! My best friend is called Mercedes, she's in my class ,you would love her. We're taking tap lessons now! Then there's Rachel, she's Finn's girlfriend but she spends almost as much time with me. We watch a lot of musicals together, she even took me to real ones in real theatres. I'm learning all the songs from her. Sometimes people find her annoying but I'm sure you would like her mommy. Tina is Artie's best friend, I like her a lot. She's shy but she makes the best bracelets and taught me how. I make a lot of jewellery now too and my new grandma Victoria gave me a sewing machine for my birthday so I'm gonna learn how to make my own clothes. I love my siblings but wearing their old stuff can be really weird. Hm... where was I.. oh… friends… there's also Sam's best friend Mike, he is a great dancer and will be famous one day, I'm sure. And there's Quinn, she's pretty like a princess, Santana and Noah think so, too. Marcus is Mercedes' big brother, he's captain of the football team Finn, Noah and our friend Matt play in. Daddy, I go to all their games, you should watch one some time, I know you'd like it. Our neighbours are Sue and Becky, Sue is a bit scary but her daughter Becky is nice and she goes to school with Mercedes and me."

The little boy took a deep breath.

"See, you don't have to worry about me cause I have all those people to take care of me now."

Artie and Emma watched the little boy carefully, when he had stopped speaking for a minute the older boy approached the grave and his little brother.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Hummel. I'm Kurt's big brother Artie. I just wanted to tell you that I will always be there for him." he produced a photo from his backpack, it was taken at Christmas and had the whole family in it, with Kurt right at the centre. "Here, so you know who is his family now."

Kurt smiled at his brother through tears, he got up and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, bro."

He looked at the grave one more time.

"Bye mummy and daddy. I promise I'll visit again."

The two boys turned around and started moving back towards the car, passing their smiling mother. Emma took the few steps towards the grave and rested her hand on the cold stone.

"Thank you for that wonderful child." she said.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading and reviewing.<em>

_Let me ask you... would you like me to continue here or open a new story for the next arc? I dunno what's better.. i mean it would kinda be cool to reach 500 reviews some day and there's already so many people following this.. but a new one might make it easier for the readers.. dunno.. how many chapters is a story allowed to have?_

_Hope all of you are well, I'm sorry for not being better at answering questions so let me just pick up a few:_

_1. There will be no incest of any type or form in this story, so there will definitely be no Brittana, sorry._

_2. Kurt and Santana will talk about their sexualities, but not yet, Kurt's a little young._

_3. I liked the first episode of the new season a lot, I liked the songs and the Hummelberry. I'm not so sure about the new episodes. I don't like Blaine being younger at all, it kinda ruins the whole concept of that relationship to me and it makes Kurt seem kinda selfish for asking him to transfer. Why are the writers making Kurt and Rachel be so selfish and Finn almost invisible? Feels like they're already concentrating on season 3. I also did not like Coach Beiste of all people thinking Kurt was not manly enough, after all that she told us in Never Been Kissed this seemed out of character. And Kurt does not have toothpick arms, Emma!_

_I did like Mike Chang's and Emma's storylines._

_I'm looking forward to November and the introduction of a new gay chaaracter, although I wish he'd be interested in Kurt and not Blaine, come on.. you already made his boyfriend take forever to realise how great he is.. at least make Karofsky give him puppy eyes or something.. he's hot, don't ignore it all the time._

_okay.. so my own Dr. Davies told me to stop hiding away from the real world and validating myself through strangers on the internet... guess that means I better sign off now._

_Take care!_


	42. Chapter 42: Changes

_Thanks for still reading this!_

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><p>"KURT!" a voice rang out. "Hurry up, son! We don't want to be late!"<p>

The boy smiled knowing he still had time, by now he had figured out that his family always made sure to give him a time that was at least fifteen minutes earlier than when they really had to leave.

"One minute, dad!" he yelled back.

He had stopped calling his foster father "daddy" months ago, deciding he was too old for that now. He had turned eleven around that time and was going to start middle school after summer, just a few weeks from now.

The reason he was running late was that this was a very important day for him and his family and he had wanted to dress accordingly. He had chosen the clothes he was going to wear weeks ago, but then had had second thoughts during the sleepless night and had by now changed outfits about a dozen times, causing his brother and room mate Sam to flee.

The outfit he was currently wearing was absolutely perfect, but unfortunately nothing appropriate for the scorching hot summer day the weather forecast had promised them. Sighing he took off the gorgeous shirt and vest. He chose a short-sleeved button up and matching bow tie instead. He twirled in front of the full length mirror he had insisted on equipping the room with, even though Sam hadn't seen the necessity.

"Ready for the big day?" a voice interrupted him.

Santana was casually leaning against the doorframe. She was fifteen years old now and absolutely stunning. If she had not been his sister and if he had any interest in girls Kurt might have gasped. Okay, maybe he gasped anyways.

"That dress is gorgeous on you, Tana!"

"Oh that old thing?" she asked not wanting to admit that she had dressed up for the occasion.

Kurt raised an eyebrow that clearly said 'Who do you think you're talking to? You can't fool me.' The girl smiled, thinking she had taught him that little trick all too well. She walked over to stand next to him in the mirror.

"I guess we do look good:"

"Like you don't know it." Kurt snorted. His sister was turning the heads of boys - and one certain cheerleader- everywhere she went.

Santana smiled at him before her expression turned serious. She wrapped one arm around her little brother's shoulders.

"Are you nervous.?" she whispered.

"A little." he nodded. "Is that silly?"

"If it is than we both are."

They smiled and hugged, knowing the other was one of the few people who could imagine what they were feeling right now.

"You guys done getting all sentimental and ready to leave now?" Puck appeared grinning in the doorway.

Both of his younger siblings reached out for him without saying a word, pulling him into the hug.

"Let's do this."

Kurt grabbed his backpack from his desk and carefully placed the pink ranger inside, he no longer needed to be holding it all the time, but he liked having it close.

The whole family was waiting downstairs and soon they found themselves piling into their parents' cars, while Finn pouted about not being allowed to drive in his own.

* * *

><p>They made the short ride into town without any problems and parked near one of the largest buildings Kurt had ever seen. He stared at the columns around the main entrance in awe as the family climbed the steps - Finn and Artie used the side entrance. Inside they climbed another flight of stairs and waited in a rather dull looking hall, where they were joined by Finn and Artie again. Kurt hated having to wait, he failed miserably at sitting still and after a few minutes decided to join his sister Brittany in a game of skipping along the differently colored tiles.<p>

"The Schuester family?" a short woman who had appeared in a doorway asked. "You may come in now."

Will, Emma, Puck, Santana and Kurt entered the rather small room, the others decided to wait outside.

"Hello." a bald man greeted them from behind his desk. "It's lovely to meet you, but you do know we could've sent the final documents by mail, right?"

"We know." Will said. "We just really wanted this to be a day to remember."

"Okay then." the man's smile had gotten even wider. "Kids, please step forward."

Kurt, Santana and Puck stepped forward holding hands.

"I'm honored to tell you that from now on you will officially be known as Santana Schuester, Noah Schuester and Kurt Schuester. Here are your copies of the adoption files."

The children took the files like they were accepting awards, whispering polite thank yous to the man. When they stepped back into the hall they were greeted by their siblings' cheers and a shower of hard rice.

"Ouch." they all yelped trying to cover their faces.

"Brittany! You only throw rice at weddings!" Emma scolded her daughter. "And never do it inside."

"But Artie said outside it could harm the birds." the blonde pouted.

"We should leave before the janitor sees this." Puck said, sounding like an expert.

The parents gave each other a look that clearly said they were supposed to be role models, but they really did not want to stay around and search for a cleaner.

"How about a nice meal at Breadsticks?" Will asked instead.

While everyone was enjoying their pizzas and pasta Emma looked around her family. She could not believe they were all hers, every single one of them. She looked at Noah, at seventeen years old the boy already looked like a grown man. The boy's biological mother had given up her rights without hesitation. The Schuester's had tried to initiate some contact, Puck wanted nothing more than to see his sister, but the mother had not been interested. The father was serving yet another jail sentence. Emma sighed, she knew there was no stopping the boy looking for his sister once he was eighteen and finished high school.

Santana's mother had hesitated, but had finally understood that she owed her daughter this new life after not taking care of her in her old one.

Emma smiled when her youngest son gently leaned against her. Kurt had grown a lot in the last two years, but he was still a bit of a momma's boy and loved cuddling.

Even though he was the only orphan amongst the newly adopted trio, the decision had been hardest for Kurt. He had been scared of betraying his birth parents. It had taken a lot of time with Dr. Davies and almost equally many visits to the cemetery to convince the boy it was okay.

"My name is Kurt Schuester." the boy whispered, making his mother smile.

Emma kissed her little boy's hair and smiled at her husband. How could they be this lucky? They had seven amazing children.

* * *

><p>A couple of days after collecting the adoption papers the family embarked on their summer vacation.<p>

It was a very emotional trip for the parents, knowing this was most likely the last holiday with the whole family. Finn and Noah were starting their senior year soon, it was highly unlikely that they would travel with all seven kids again.

They rented a cabin at the shores of lake Erie. The children spent the summer swimming and having fun. Sam and Finn discovered their passion for water skiing, while Noah broke the hearts of many girls. Artie took about a million pictures with the brand new camera he had gotten for his birthday.

Santana and Brittany spent their days tanning, they wanted to look good in their cheerleading uniforms when school started again. Kurt did not understand what was supposed to be so good about tanning, he chose to hide under umbrellas and hats and behind sunglasses.

The two weeks went by in a flash of happy times they got to spend together as a family. They felt closer than ever before. They did miss their friends at home though, Finn phoned Rachel every single day and Santana often snuck away to make some private calls. Kurt missed his best friend Mercedes, but she was away visiting family in Florida and he had no number to call. He chose to write in his diary instead.

On their last day they decided to take a boat trip around the lake. None of the siblings had ever seen the ocean before and the huge lake left quite an impression on them.

Kurt stood at the back of the boat, he was holding the pink power ranger and thinking about all the changes in his life. He had a new family, he was officially a Schuester now. He would be starting a new school soon, he was looking forward to being at the same school as Artie and Tina again, but he was also afraid. A lot of the older kids had been teasing him lately and being one of the oldest boys at the elementary school had made him feel a little safer. Now he would be one of the youngest again and so close to the high school.

The boy was so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice his brothers who were horsing around and chasing each other around the boat. When they came close to Kurt Finn gave his brother Sam a playful shove, the blonde boy tripped and fell against Kurt. The smaller boy fell forwards and just about managed to catch himself before falling over the railing.

"Oh shit! Bro!" Finn shouted.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?" Sam apologized.

Kurt could only stare at his older brothers with his eyes wide and mouth open.

"What's going on?" Puck interrupted. "Ranger?"

He wrapped an arm around his little brother, who was still gaping in shock. All three of the older boys were close to panicking when the youngest did not speak, he only kept staring at his empty hands.

"Dude, where's your power ranger?" Finn finally asked.

"What?" Puck gasped. "It's in your backpack, right?"

"No, he was holding it." Sam said. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry!"

All four boys turned and looked out at the water. There was nothing to be seen.

Kurt cried that night. He cried for the ranger, for his parents, for everything he had ever lost in his life. He sobbed for hours and nothing his room mates tried was able to comfort him. In the morning he got up knowing he was not a little boy anymore. He was strong enough to go through life without the little action figure. He forgave his brothers, it was not their fault, sooner or later he would have had to let go. He was not alone, he had eight wonderful people who would always be there for him.

* * *

><p>Just a few weeks later it was time for the Schuester kids to start school again. Finn and Noah were excited for their senior year, Santana, Brittany and Sam were looking forward to their times on the cheerios and the football team. Artie was looking forward to his last year of middle school and Kurt - Kurt was still scared.<p>

That is how he found himself in front of the new school, looking up at the large building with Mercedes and Becky at his sides, their arms looped through his.

"Well, aren't you three precious." a voice interrupted them. "You look so sweet and innocent I bet birds come and dress you every morning."

The three friends turned and looked at the big girl who had approached them.

"I'm Lauren Zizes." she said with a grin. "I think we're in the same year.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks to everyone who is still reading and reviewing this!<em>

_I got a lot of great comment, both pro and con continuing this story here. So I decided to make a little compromise, I am going to continue this story here for another couple of chapters and then start a new one when Kurt starts high school. I might even tag it as klaine then..hehe._

_I hope that's okay with everyone.. I will definately post here when the new story goes up.. but that's still gonna take a lil while._

_Thanks again for all your patience with me!_


	43. Chapter 43: Locked

_Sorry for the long wait!_

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><p>Kurt woke up early and felt like groaning, but he did not want to wake up his brother so he just buried his face in his pillow and sighed. He really did not want to go to school today. He had quickly realized that middle school was a lot different from elementary school. Not only the students, but also the teachers were a lot harder on him there. Maybe he should not have asked is parents to not speak to the teachers and ask them to be extra patient with. Emma had been fully prepared to tell everyone about his history and that he was still in therapy. But Kurt had wanted to start this new part of his life as normally as possible. He was convinced that he did not need people to baby him anymore. He did not carry a toy around any longer and he was able to speak to strangers now, even though it still made him nervous and he did not want to start middle school as "the freak that needed his mummy to tell people to go easy on him".<p>

At school Kurt stuck close to his brother Artie and his friend Tina as much as possible, and of course he was completely inseparable from Mercedes and Becky - and surprisingly Lauren Zizes. The big girl had soon become one of his closest friends. He loved her wit and admired her sarcasm. One time she had stayed over and made his brother Noah laugh so hard he had milk shoot out of his nose! That had been rather gross but funny nonetheless. They were forbidden to sit together in most of their classes because they just could not stop making snarky comments about their classmates, they just kept egging each other on and it usually resulted in laughing fits that made their sides hurt. Lauren brought out a whole new side of Kurt. The way she spoke about people reminded him of his grandmother Victoria. Mercedes had been insanely jealous at first, but she could not resist all the gossip Lauren had to offer and as long as Kurt still linked arms with her first and came to her when he needed a hug or a sleep over that consisted of dancing around the room and eating cookies or ice cream all night, she was willing to share her friend. She simply made sure that Lauren knew that she was already practically engaged to the boy. The bigger girl had only raised an eyebrow at that comment. One other thing Kurt liked about Lauren was the effect she had on bullies. None of the boys ever dared to touch or even insult Kurt when the girl was close by. And unfortunately a person that made the bullies stay away was exactly what Kurt needed most at this school.

The bullying had intensified enormously. Kurt was tripped and pushed into lockers all the time. He heard sniggers wherever he went and often caught kids making kissing faces or pointing at him. The worst were the insults though, Kurt did not understand half of them. What exactly was a fag and why were they asking him if sitting down hurt and if he would be more comfortable bending over a table? Why would they be sticking tampons to his locker? Some of the boys had told the coach that they could not change in front of Kurt in the locker rooms because he would stare at them - which was not true at all! In the showers they kept making the same joke about dropping the soap over and over again.

Kurt was so tired of it all and today was a gym class day which made him wonder if he could get away with claiming to be ill just one more time before his family noticed. He was so lost in his thoughts that he yelped when he suddenly felt someone touch his shoulder.

"Jesus, Kurt! Calm down! It's just me!" Sam whispered.

"What's going on?" Kurt said, trying to sound as if he had been startled out of his sleep.

"It's time." his brother grinned.

What? Kurt looked confused for a few seconds but then it dawned on him. This was not just another gym class day, this was a really special day and he could not believe he had almost forgot. He grinned at his brother and crawled out from under the covers, then followed him into the hallway, tip-toeing on bare feet and trying to flatten his hair with his hands.

The whole family was standing in front of the girls' room, their mother holding a beautiful cake with candles and a large sixteen on top. Will knocked twice before opening the door and letting the family pile in.

"Happy Birthday, Santana!" they called out smiling, before breaking into song.

The latina had been snuggled up to her sister, who had been trying to convince her that it was not their family they could hear whispering in the hallway, but most likely birthday elves that were delivering her presents.

"Oh, please! I can hear Finn breathe through that door." Santana had whispered, but had stayed in bed and not spoiled things for her family.

Now she was sitting up, trying not to blush and definitely not cry ,while her large family was singing for her. So maybe she was blinking a lot more often than usual, but that was just because it was still so early and the lights of the candles shone so brightly. And if a few tears managed to escape when her family hugged her tightly and making her feel loved, then that was just because of the smoke from the candles she had blown out to the sound of their encouragements.

"Happy Birthday, sweet sixteen!" everyone had said, making her feel so loved.

Her youngest brother crawled under the covers, snuggling between her and Brittany and handing her a small box.

"Open mine first!"

She opened the box and found a beautiful bracelet with different little charms on it.

"That one's a music note for Glee and this football is there cause I could not find a cheerleading one. I don't know what this one is , but I thought it looked like a taco and I needed a Latin one so…"

"I love it." the girl grinned, kissing her little brother's nose and making him beam with pride.

Artie was next, handing his sister a dvd.

"I went to every football match and most of your cheerleading competitions and this is a compilation of your best stuff. I figured it would look good in college applications or just your Facebook or stuff. Of course I can always make more."

"Thanks, bro!" the girl smiled.

Most of the other presents consisted of clothes, make-up and gift certificates, as well as some interesting artwork from Brittany. Finally Finn stepped up.

"I know this isn't much, but you didn't really wish for anything so it was kinda hard to come up with stuff. This is from me and Puck."

The tall boy handed her a small box, which she opened carefully before giving him a confused look.

"Frankenteen, these are your car keys. Are you giving me your car?"

"No, I mean yes - I mean not like forever." Finn was confused and unable to explain so he looked at Noah for help.

"We are giving you the rights to our car. At least for the rest of this month. You still have to make sure you get us to school and football practice on time, but you get to drive - and you decide what to do with it in our free time."

Santana was so touched she could not speak.

"That's so nice of you, boys." Emma said with motherly pride.

"Yeah, well… it's only until you give the triplets their own car at the party." Finn smiled.

The boys had started calling Santana and the twins triplets ages ago, because they were the same age and were pretty much inseparable. They also often referred to the girls as Siamese twins, even though Emma tried to tell them that was not a politically correct term at all.

"We're getting a car?" Brit and Sam cheered.

"Finn! That was supposed to be a surprise!" Will gasped.

"Oops!"

They had started planning the big birthday party months ago, it was going to take place on the twins' birthday, Halloween, but it would include Santana. A triple sweet sixteen party. Everyone had been really happy with the idea once they had assured Brittany that she would not be turning forty-eight.

"Oh look at the time!" Emma tried to change the subject. "You better all start getting ready for school. And don't forget we're having Santana's birthday dinner at Breadsticks tonight. Don't make any other plans!"

As everyone hurried to be the first to get to the bathrooms Kurt could feel the dread settle on him once more. It felt like a big weight on his chest and in his tummy.

"You okay, little bro?" his sister asked hugging him tightly.

"I'm fine." he replied forcing a smile, no need to ruin the girl's birthday.

"Love you." she said

"Love you, too."

"Wanna help me pick out my birthday outfit?" she asked.

"You're not wearing your uniform?"

"Not today."

"I know just the right thing!" he squealed and this time the smile was real.

* * *

><p>Kurt spent the morning in the warm afterglow of the happiness he had felt while choosing a gorgeous dress for his sister. She had even allowed him to pick the earrings she was going to wear along with it and then both she and Brittany had let him help with their hair.<p>

At school he stayed close to Mercedes, Lauren and Becky. He could feel the eyes of the bullies on him wherever he went and it made him nervous. He had not been tripped or pushed at all yet today and even though he received the occasional slur it made him feel like they were planning something. He did not tell his friends or even his brother during lunch though, he did not want to appear paranoid.

And then it was time for gym class. Kurt walked into the locker room looking like he had been sentenced to death. He kept his eyes on his locker or the floor while he was changing. And the other boys still kept warning him not to perv on them. What did that even mean?

They played basketball, far away from the girls who were playing at the other end of the gym. Every time the teacher was not looking Kurt would be shoved hard or get hit in the head by the ball. Soon his knees were hurting and his head was killing him. By the time the lesson was over he just felt like crying, but he would never give them that satisfaction.

Again he was standing in the locker room staring into his locker like it was the single most fascinating thing on earth.

"Schuester!" the coach's voice echoed through the room. "I don't care if you think you discovered Narnia or a cure for cancer in there, if I don't spot your skinny, pale ass in the showers in ten seconds you will be spending the next few weeks inflating balls every afternoon.!"

This earned uncontrollable laughter from the other boys, but they were quickly shut up by a single, stern look from their teacher.

Kurt grabbed his towel and timidly made his way to the showers, he usually waited until the other boys were finished in there.

"No way, homo!" he was stopped by a big boy. "You don't get to go in there!"

"But coach said…"

"I'm sure coach meant to send you to the girls' showers."

"Yeah, that's where you belong! Not here where you can infect all of us!"

"I bet you're a girl, Schuester. I bet you're not even hiding a dick under that towel."

One of the boys yanked the towel away from him and Kurt squeaked, trying to cover himself up.

"Well… looks like you're a boy after all! But a fairy boy and fairies don't get to shower in here!"

They began pushing Kurt around and he yelped with pain and fear.

"Guys…" a few boys looked uneasy and like they wanted to help Kurt, one look from the biggest bully quickly shut them up and they left in a hurry.

"Gonna pay you a lesson, homo. Gonna show you where you belong." the ring leader sneered and pushed Kurt back towards the lockers. He pushed the smaller boy inside his own locker and locked the door.

Everyone was laughing and taunting the poor child who was naked and trembling with cold and fear. Then after a few minutes they all just left and it got quiet.

Kurt was not sure what to do. Was he supposed to call for help? What if the wrong person heard him? What if the bullies came back and decided this punishment was not enough.

Then there were voices and footsteps, the next class was arriving. The usual banter was going on, until one boy suddenly discovered Kurt through the air vents.

"Oh my God! Guys! You got to see this!" he was howling with laughter.

"Oh my! They locked up the little queer!"

"Please let me go!" Kurt begged, but they just laughed at him.

Through the vents Kurt was able to recognize some of the boys. He even spotted Azimio and Karofsky, the boys who had scared him and Artie on that one fateful day.

The boys left for their class and Kurt waited, shivering and not daring to make a sound.

When they returned they continued taunting him for a while but got quiet whenever a teacher was near. Kurt noticed that Dave Karofsky, who's locker was located right across from him idled around his locker for a long time and then went to shower last, much like Kurt usually did. After he got dressed he put his foot up right next to Kurt's locker and tied his laces.

"You okay?" he whispered, even though there was no one left around to hear them.

"Please let me out" the smaller boy begged once more.

"Sorry, can't do that." he said and left.

Kurt cried for what felt like a really long time when he suddenly heard someone call his name.

"Kurt?" it sounded again.

"Artie?" Kurt hoped he was not hallucinating. "Artie! I'm here! Please help me"

His brother finally found him and opened the door.

"Oh bro! What happened?" he asked, handing his brother a towel.

Kurt only shook his head, he did not want to talk about it. He quickly started getting dressed.

"How did you find me?"

"That Karofsky kid came and handed me a note. It said it was from you and that you wanted to meet me here, but it wasn't in your handwriting and my name was spelled wrong, so I got worried."

Kurt was stunned, so the bully had helped him after all.

"Please, bro. Tell me what happened."

"It's just a stupid prank." the younger boy said trying not to cry.

"You got to tell mom and dad!"

Kurt knew his brother would not let this go, so he promised he would.

"Just not today, okay. I don't want to ruin Santana's birthday."

"Okay." Artie agreed, but he did not sound happy about it.

That evening the family had a wonderful meal at Breadsticks, everyone was laughing and having fun. Artie kept watching his little brother, wondering just how good an actor he really was and if something like today had happened before.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry again for the long wait. Can't explain. Just wasn't doing very good.<em>

_Thanks for all your comments and messages. You really cheer me up! I can't believe so many people are following this story and that there are still new ones joining them, even though they have to catch up on so many chapters._

_I know I made Karofsky kinda nice in this chapter n that might cause a freak out.. so please keep calm, this is still gonna be Klaine. I just felt like I needed to show just how conflicted Karofsky is... n I personally fell in love with Max Adler's smile in the last episode.. but that's just me and not Kurt, okay. (yes, I'm a creepy gay boy who just wanted to climb Karofsky's lap and hide away from the world in those arms, you may now proceed to hate me)_

_I loved the episode btw. no complaints.. except maybe that hideous jumper Tina was wearing during the sex talk. I miss gothic Tina. Oh and why were Tamlyn Tomita and Lamarcus Tinker credited even though they had no lines, but Curt Mega who sang lead on Uptown Girl was not?_

_WARNING TEEN GAY RANT FOLLOWING_

_I also wanna tell my few tumblr followers that I quit posting there. Chris is right, it is a crazy place and I was very shocked by some of the things I saw happening there in the last two weeks._

_Why can't a gay guy be friends with another man without that guy being bombarded with totally inaproppriate tweets? Do they even realise how rude that is? They are real people! What exactly do they want to happen? That nice guys don't wanna risk being seen with Chris anymore cause they can't deal with psycho-fans? Or that guys just wanna be friends with him because of the huge publicity it will get them?_

_And why does Grant Gustin get hate tweets? What do they want him to do? Say no to being employed? He is not writing that role! It was not his idea. I personally think he did really well in that episode but he wasn't as hot as he was hyped to be._

_Also why is Chris saying he isn't sure if both Kurt and Blaine lost their virginity but Kurt definitely did an indicator for who was bottoming? I don't get it at all._

_Basically I think right now tumblr is the most homophobic place ever without noticing it, I never felt so insulted before._

_Those who wanted a way of staying in touch with me may message me.. I might even give you my facebook addy.. but I'm not exposing myself to tumblr crazyness again.. I'll just go there for the pretty pics..lol_

_Thanks again, love you all!_

_(Sorry for the long rant)_


	44. Chapter 44: Party

_My readers rock!_

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><p>The next few weeks seemed to fly by for the Schuester family. The older kids were all very busy with school, football and cheerleading and of course the glee club. Will was very serious about sectionals this year, he had five of his own children in the club, along with Quinn, Rachel, Mike and Matt and he just could not imagine ever having a stronger group. He had them practice more than ever before, both at school and at the family home. He just knew they actually had a chance against their nemesis Vocal Adrenaline this year and his enthusiasm was so contagious, that the whole family helped wherever they could.<p>

With the added stress of preparing the epic Sweet Sixteen / Halloween party everyone was so busy that they were unintentionally neglecting their two youngest family members.

Artie was the only one who seemed to notice his little brother getting paler and skinnier every day. He tried to keep a close eye on the smaller boy in school, but of course he would only see him in between classes or during lunch and then Kurt was usually surrounded by his friends. He seemed happy joking around with Lauren, exchanging fashion advice with Mercedes or helping Becky with her homework, still Artie had the nagging feeling something was wrong. He tried to talk to his little brother several times, but the kid always assured him that everything was fine.

"Kurt, are you sure you're okay?" he tried again while they were waiting for their mother outside of their school.

All of the girls had already been picked up, Sue had even offered to take the boys as well, but they had told her they were going to help their mother buy party supplies, so they stayed and waited. They had briefly considered walking the short distance across the lot towards the high school, but it was pouring rain and they knew their mother would freak if they appeared at her car looking like drowned kittens.

"I'm fine, Artie." Kurt sighed.

"No, you're not. Please stop lying to me."

"I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are. I can tell you lost weight and I can see you flinch in the halls whenever a taller boy walks past you." Artie said angrily, but then switched to a more resigned, desperate tone. "Please talk to me, bro. And please tell our parents."

"There's nothing to tell." Kurt wished his brother would just let it go. He really did not feel like talking about this. He did not want to deal with the memories of painful shoves or cruel laughter. Being bullied was a painful, embarrassing and most of all personal thing. Could his brother not see that?

He kept his eyes trained on his own feet, wondering how his shoes could already be pinching his toes, he had only gotten these a few months ago. How did Artie even know? He stuck close to Lauren wherever he went and nobody dared to bully him in front of her. The only place it still happened was the locker room. The other boys did not want him around while they were changing and definitely would not allow him to share the showers with them. He had skipped showering altogether a few times, but then Mercedes had told him he was kind of smelly and he had wanted to die of embarrassment. Now he had returned to his routine of waiting until the other boys had left, but that earned him the undisguised dislike of his maths teacher, since he arrived late to class on a regular basis. And he was already not the best at maths so it was a vicious circle.

"Bro, please. I can tell you're not okay and it's hurting me."

Kurt looked up, surprised to find tears in his brother's eyes.

"I'm sorry." he whispered, not sure what exactly he was apologizing for.

"So, they're still picking on you?"

"Yes." the reply was barely audible.

"Have they locked you up again? Or hit you?"

"No." Kurt said. They had not locked him up again and shoving or tripping was not hitting , so technically it was not a lie.

"Do you know why they're teasing you?" Artie asked, even though he knew the reason, he had heard the rumors.

"No?" Kurt shrugged. "Maybe cause I'm smaller than them?"

He could not tell his older brother that the other kids bullied him because they thought he was gay. That they feared he would watch them undress like a pervert. He did not even know if they were right, he had never had romantic feelings for anyone before and he most certainly had not thought about having sex. What if his brother thought he was a freak when he admitted that? Or what if he believed them and would start hating him for being gay? What if he told the rest of the family and then all of his brothers would start behaving differently towards him? What if Sam would not want to share his room anymore? Or Noah stopped allowing him to sleep in his bed after he had nightmares? What if Finn stopped giving him piggy back rides? What if his parents would regret ever adopting him?

He felt like crying, but he had become so good at acting that Artie barely noticed the trembling of his lower lip.

"Please Kurt. Please talk to someone. If not for yourself than for me I just can't stand worrying about you on my own." Artie begged.

Kurt sighed.

"This is a bad time. I don't want to ruin the triplet's party."

They had only two days left until Halloween.

"Then promise me you will tell after the party. Promise me you will tell someone then."

"Okay." Kurt agreed reluctantly after a minute, already trying to find a way to get out of that promise.

"And no more delays." Artie said. "November 1st, that's the day. No telling me you want to wait until after sectionals or after Thanksgiving at grandma Victoria's."

"November 1st." Kurt whispered.

Before they could continue the conversation their mother arrived and they left for a day of last minute party shopping.

* * *

><p>The party was a full success. They had spent almost a whole week decorating the house and it looked spectacular inside and out. For the older siblings the best perk about the whole celebration was the fact that their parents, along with Artie and Kurt would only be around for the first half of the celebration and then Will and Emma would leave to stay in the Berrys' guest room and the two youngest Schuesters would sleep over at Sue and Becky's house.<p>

"Don't make us regret this." Will kept telling them.

The day of the actual party was spent in a hurry of preparing food and getting their costumes ready. Emma and Will were dressed as Miss Saigon and her American soldier, which got them the full attention and several Broadway lectures from the Berry men who were dressed as Crockett and Tubbs from Miami Vice. Sue was dressed as some male German athlete no one had ever heard of so newcomers soon received the advice not to ask her about her costume. Becky was in a cheerleading uniform, holding a sharpened piece of wood and telling people she was Buffy the vampire slayer. Kurt was dressed as Eddie Munster, with spiked hair and black clothes, he was so pale, he had hardly needed any make up. Mercedes was dressed as Oprah, while Lauren had chosen to be a professional wrestler and looked very badass. Artie and his wheelchair were hidden behind a R2D2 costume, with Tina as his Princess Leia, her long hair tamed in the trademark style. Sam was dressed as Indiana Jones, Mike was a ninja and Matt was in a suit as Will Smith from Men in Black. Santana was a radiant beauty as Cleopatra, who never left Quinn's side, the blonde was dressed in Marilyn Monroe's famous white dress. Brittany spread her cheerfulness around the party, dressed as Tinkerbell. Rachel was in an eerily authentic looking Barbra Streisand get up. Puck and Finn were dressed as Rambo and Captain Jack Sparrow.

Everyone had lots of fun singing and dancing and Santana , Brittany and Sam basked in all the attention they received. After a short while Will took Kurt and his three friends out for a rather successful round of trick or treating and they generously shared their bounty with the rest of the party. At the height of the celebration the parents asked Santana and the twins to come outside, of course the whole party followed. The triplets were impatiently looking around, but there was nothing unusual to be seen, no new car in sight. Right as they turned their disappointed gazes towards their parents a loud honking sounded through the darkness of the late October evening. A red Volkswagen turned the corner, Puck behind the steering wheel and Finn leaning over from the passenger seat, sounding the horn over and over again. The three teens jumped around the pavement and cheered. Of course the car was used, but it was in perfect condition, the triplets had paid for almost half of it with their savings and the parents had paid the rest, they would also take over insurance fees for the first year, like they had done for Finn and Puck, who would be taking their car off to college next summer.

"Oh my God! This is so cool!" they shouted as they ran around the car, looking at it from all sides.

"I get to drive it first!" Santana yelled.

"No way, you already got to drive Finn and Puck's car the whole month!" Sam disagreed.

Santana pouted, even though she knew her brother was right. Brittany did not care too much about being the first to drive, so Puck handed the keys to a beaming Sam.

"Let's take it for a spin!" the blonde boy smiled. "Kurt, Artie, do you want to come along?"

The two youngest Schuesters beamed at being invited by their brother and squeezed into the backseat with Santana after Brittany had called shot gun. They took a short drive around the neighborhood, then the youngest boys got out and Mike and Quinn got in looking less than brave as Brittany took her turn in the driver's seat.

Soon it was getting late and after their friends had all been picked up by their parents Artie and Kurt sat on the couch yawning widely and fighting sleep.

"Come on boys, let's get you to bed." Emma said, signaling Sue, who was supporting a sleepy Becky.

"Just one second." Kurt said. "I got to say goodnight to everyone."

The young boy had come up with this little ritual where he needed to hug all of his siblings and wish them a goodnight or he simply could not sleep. He found Brittany first, twirling on the makeshift dance floor and looking at her pretty wings sparkling in the light. He gave her a tight hug and received a kiss to his nose before going off to find the rest of the gang. He found Finn wrapped around Rachel and blushed, before carefully pulling his sleeve. The two teens were not mad at him at all and he received a hug from Rachel as well as his big brother. Puck was busy spiking the punch but he made some time to hug Kurt, while making him promise not to tell the parents. Sam was surrounded by a group of jocks, still boasting about the new car, Kurt stood still not knowing what to do, he did not dare interrupt. Sam spotted him though and left his friends to hug his little brother and wish him a goodnight. So now he only needed to find Santana, which proved to be a lot more difficult than he thought. Will, Emma and Artie were already getting impatient by the time he circled the living room a third time. He finally decided to check upstairs.

He walked down the hall and checked the parents' room as well as the room he shared with Sam, luckily both rooms were unoccupied. Then he went to the girls' bedroom and carefully opened the door peeking inside. Kurt gasped at what he saw. On one of the beds there were Cleopatra and Marilyn Monroe, caught in a deep embrace. And they were kissing! They were more than kissing! He was pretty sure there was tongue involved.

Kurt completely forgot what he came here for and could not help but stare. That was his sister on that bed, his beautiful sister who turned boys' heads wherever she went. And she was kissing Quinn, another girl! He had never seen a same sex couple really kiss before, the Berry men were not that openly affectionate in front of the kids. And he definitely had never seen anyone kiss like that before, not even Finn or Rachel or Puck and one of his numerous girlfriends.

He quietly closed the door and stepped back. A million thoughts were rushing through his head. His sister was kissing a girl. So it must be okay for two girls to kiss. Both Quinn and Santana were very popular, he was sure nobody ever pushed them around or locked them up in their lockers.

He went back downstairs in a dazed state. He told his parents that he had finished saying goodnight to all of his siblings and they took him and Artie over to Sue's house, before leaving for the Berry home themselves.

Kurt did not sleep all night, he lay awake in his sleeping bag, listening to Artie's steady breathing, but he could not find sleep himself. His thoughts kept taking him back to the two girls on the bed and what this meant. His dad had once told him that loving someone and being loved back could never be wrong, so the girls could not have been doing anything bad. So why would it be bad if he wanted to kiss a boy? Not that he wanted to, there was no boy he was interested in in that way, but he liked to keep his options open.

When he was not thinking about the girls his thoughts took him back to the promise he had given Artie, he was supposed to tell someone about the bullying tomorrow - and he finally decided who this person was going to be.

* * *

><p>In the morning he had breakfast with Sue, Becky and Artie, they were joined by his parents after a short while.<p>

"Can we go back home yet?" Artie asked them.

"Not yet, we just checked, all the teens are still sleeping in the living room." Emma said.

"They seem to have behaved surprisingly well. " Will smiled, happy that his house had not burned down or something like that.

Kurt managed to sneak out when his father sat down with the newspaper while his mom and Sue cleaned up and Becky and Artie started watching cartoons in the living room. He walked over to his home and entered through the porch door. He toed off his too small shoes and looked around the room. Most of the teens were still passed out, but he spotted his sister awake and smiling at him.

He quickly walked over to Santana, who was lying next to Quinn, but not nearly as close as Kurt would have expected.

"Hey little, bro." she whispered, pulling him in for a hug. "I missed you last night. I had to go to sleep without my Kurtie cuddles!"

She pouted making him giggle. He sat down next to her giving her warm hug. Then he went back to rubbing his sore toes.

"What's wrong with your feet?" she asked.

"Shoes are getting too small."

"Again? Wow, bro. You better watch out or you'll start attracting hobbits!"

"Ha! Ha!" he replied rolling his eyes.

"Just you wait. I'll tease you endlessly when the first one shows up on our doorstep."

Santana smiled but soon noticed the serious look on her little brother's face.

"What's wrong, Kurtie?"

"Can I talk to you about something?" he whispered.

"Of course." Santana replied, before looking at all the sleeping teens in the room. "Let's go upstairs."

The latina offered her hand to her little brother and Kurt grabbed it, letting her lead the way

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><p><em>AN: Thanks to everyone who took the time to review or send me a message in the last week. You guys are the best! It was so cool to get to know some of you. Now I know that my story is really read by all ages! Your support means a lot to me, thank you.<em>

_I'm sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. I had originally planned to post a chapter to my other story first and then start writing this one. But even after almost a week I'm still not quite happy with that chapter for the other story, so I decided to take a break and write this first. For some reason this story is so much easier to write._

_Thanks again!_


	45. Chapter 45: Allies

**WARNING: Lots of sappy dialogue!**

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><p>Santana climbed onto her bed and held her arms out to her little brother who cuddled up to her immediately.<p>

"Okay, shortcake: Spill!" the girl said, smoothing a strand of hair out of his forehead.

The boy took a deep breath, but then he shook his head.

"I don't know where to start." he said shakily.

"Just start with something easy and we will work from there." his sister offered.

The boy appeared to be deep in thought, chewing on his bottom lip.

"Do you love Quinn?" he finally blurted.

"Whoa… Kurtie… now… where'd that come from?" Santana blushed. "Why would you ask something like that?"

"I saw you last night."

"Oh, really? What did you see?" the girl coughed uneasily.

"I saw you and Quinn on this bed and you were kissing."

"Oh."

To say the girl was shocked would have been an understatement. Suddenly it felt harder to breathe and her heart was beating so fast she was almost expecting to break a couple of ribs.

Kurt had never seen his sister look so pale, for a brief moment he was afraid she might faint.

"Tana?" he asked, looking up at her with big, uncertain eyes.

The girl swallowed hard before making eye contact with her brother again.

"Who did you tell?" she whispered.

"Nobody." he replied, making her look at him with eyes widened by surprise.

"Nobody? Really?"

The boy only nodded.

"Why?" the girl whispered. She could not believe he had not told Mercedes at least, the girl was such a sucker for good gossip.

"I didn't know what to think." Kurt replied.

"Did it make you think less of me?" Santana asked.

"Of course not." the boy seemed shocked by her question.

The girl smiled and hugged him close.

"You're my sister and I love you. And I really like Quinn. I'm happy for you." the boy continued.

"Thanks, Kurtie." she whispered to him. "I'm still gonna ask you to keep this our secret, okay?"

The boy nodded and cuddled up so close he could actually feel his sister's heart beat.

"I just don't understand why." he whispered. "Is it wrong?"

"Wrong?"

"Is it bad for two girls or two boys to kiss?"

"No."

"Then why does it have to be a secret? Why can Finn kiss Rachel in front of everyone, but you can't kiss Quinn?"

"I don't know."

"Are you ashamed?" Kurt asked.

"No." his sister replied but her voice was shaking and it did not sound very convincing.

"You shouldn't be. Dad said it is never wrong to love and be loved back."

"I know." Santana whispered, a tear running down her face.

"So, you love her?"

"Yes."

"Does she love you back?"

"I'm not sure. I hope she does."

"You're not sure? Hasn't she told you?"

"We're scared, Kurtie. Scared to admit it to ourselves, afraid of others finding out. People can be cruel."

"I know." the boy said, his voice breaking.

Santana looked into her little brother's eyes and saw pain that should definitely not be there. The boy was perfect to her, there was no way anybody had any reason to hurt him.

"Tell me, little brother." she said, squeezing him tightly.

And Kurt told her everything, about the teasing, the slurs, the locker shoves, being tripped, about the locker room and the showers. When he finished they were both crying.

"Oh, baby bro. Why didn't you tell me?" Santana said hugging him as tightly as she could.

"I don't know. I was scared." he sobbed. "What if they're right?"

"Why would that change anything, sweetie?"

"I don't know."

"You just told me that me loving a girl does not make you think any less of me. Do you think I would treat you any differently?"

Kurt just shook his head and hid his face in his sister's arms.

"Oh baby bro, you're too young to be hurting over stuff like this."

"I don't even know if they're right." the boy admitted.

Santana was surprised to hear this, she had always known she was different, she had not known exactly what it was that made her different until she had met Quinn though. Santana had been nine years old and knew she wanted this girl to love her.

"You never wanted someone to hold your hand and smile at you and maybe kiss you? No one ever made you feel butterflies in your tummy?"

Kurt shook his head.

"Do you think something's wrong with me?"

"No, we all work at our own pace. Don't ever let people rush you." she said kissing his hair. "It will happen. You will see somebody and you will know."

"Do you think mom and dad or our siblings would hate me?"

"No way, kiddo. They all love you way too much."

"They love you, too, and you don't want to tell them."

"Smarty." Santana grinned and pressed a kiss to his nose. "Everyone's got their own pace, remember."

Kurt smiled and cuddled closer.

"I love you, Tana."

"Love you, too. And please come to me when you need help or just someone to listen, okay?"

"Okay." he whispered.

Santana kissed her little brother's hair while thinking of a thousand different ways to kill the bullies that were hurting him.

The door cracked open and Brittany danced into the room.

"Why are you guys hiding? We miss you!" she declared as she climbed onto the bed greeting both her siblings with Eskimo kisses.

"Brittany?" Kurt asked, feeling a lot braver than just half an hour ago. "Do you like girls or boys?"

"Both"

"No.. I mean like for kissing and stuff."

"Both. It's different but fun with both, doesn't matter what kind of plumbing they have."

Kurt looked confused.

"What about love, Brit-Brit? Do you prefer males or females?" her sister asked.

"Don't be silly, Tana. You fall in love with a soul, not a gender." the blonde replied.

The two dark-haired siblings exchanged a look. When had their sister become so smart?

* * *

><p>Kurt felt a lot better after the talk with his sisters. He walked the halls of his school a little more proudly, his shoulders less slumped. It did not matter if he preferred girls or boys, it did not matter what the bullies thought, he had a family who loved him no matter what.<p>

One other thing that made him smile was the fact that his sisters had started picking him and Artie up from school. Every day they came over from their high school and walked their little brothers across the lot to their mother's car. Kurt had to admit he quite enjoyed the jealous looks the bullies gave them and he just might have stuck out his tongue at some of them on more than one occasion.

But then the morning of another gym class day dawned on him and the old dread settled heavy on his small chest. Neither his sisters nor his two best friends would be able to defend him in those awful locker rooms. He dragged himself to school and wandered the halls, scanning them for his enemies, barely listening to Mercedes and Lauren who were doing their best to distract their friend.

In the locker rooms he changed quickly, trying not to listen to the constant teasing. At least they were playing soccer that day, he was actually quite good at that, even though his shins were blue by the end of the lesson. As usual he idled by his locker as long as possible, when hot breath against his ear startled him.

"Don't even think about going into those showers." Travis, the leading bully hissed.

Kurt flinched and rubbed his ear as he watched the bigger boy walk away, but before he could enter the showers Travis was suddenly stopped.

"Sorry, but you can't come in here." a deep voice sounded around the room.

Kurt's mouth dropped open, in the entry way to the showers stood his three oldest brothers.

"W-W-What's going on?" Travis squeaked at the taller teens.

"There's been some accident at the McKinley showers, something to do with the Cheerios. Showers are unusable, so we had to come here." Sam explained, the whole football team grunting in agreement behind him.

"And we honestly can't be seen showering with you little losers. It's not good for our cool factors, understand?" Puck inquired, earning a nod from a dumbstruck Travis.

All of the middle school boys stood in the locker room, looking at each other, before slowly beginning to get changed without their usual shower. There was no way they could disagree with the high school football team. Those guys were their idols.

"You coming, ranger?" Puck called for his little brother.

"Sure." Kurt smiled before sauntering over to the showers.

"Wait." Travis spoke up. "He gets to shower with you?"

"Of course he does." Finn, his famous quarterback hero said. "Kurt is the coolest kid we know."

"And now the rest of you get out!" Puck said raising his fist.

Travis shrieked at the threatening gesture, causing Kurt to giggle. Most of the younger boys had already left, now the last remaining bullies quickly ran to the exit.

Kurt could not help but smile, knowing that he had his dark-haired sister to thank for this, wondering just how she had gotten the Cheerios and Coach Sylvester to take over the high school locker rooms.

Kurt's good mood lasted for the rest of the day, he just could not stop smiling, especially whenever one of the girls or even a teacher pointed out how bad most of the boys smelled.

He was skipping over to his locker when a particularly hard shove sent him to the floor.

"Oof."

"Where's that stupid grin now, Schuester?" Travis' voice came from above him.

Kurt quickly scrambled to his feet.

"Leave me alone."

"Or what?" the taller boy sneered, moving his hand to push Kurt back, but he was stopped by another hand slapping his arm away.

"He told you to leave him alone." Lauren sneered as she and Mercedes moved to stand next to Kurt, Becky had already been sent to find a teacher.

"Oh look! It's Schuester's bodyguards! The fat chick brigade!" Travis laughed. "Why don't you…"

The boy never got to finish the sentence as a fist collided with his nose at that very moment. The bully was so stunned he immediately dropped to his knees. He looked up to the two girls, who had turned to look at their friend in shock.

"What?" Kurt said. "I got five older brothers and Santana as my sister… you think no one taught me to throw a punch?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Okay, so to be honest this chapter was never supposed to happen. I had a whole different chapter outlined, but then so many ppl commented or sent me messages about Kurt talking to Santana n I was getting scared of upsetting them by not actually writing it. So I began writing it like 10 days ago.. and just began cringing every time I read it cuz it turned out so sappy. So I went back to my original chapter idea.. and then I felt bad for abandoning this one and it turned into full blown writer's angst.<em>

_I finally realised that I better post this or I will never be able to move on and continue my story._

_So please forgive me for this chapter._

_I also just found out that I'm actually shorter than Darren Criss.. so please don't be too hard one me!_


	46. Chapter 46: Sessions

_Sorry for the really long wait!_

* * *

><p><strong>NOVEMBER<strong>

"So you hit the boy?" Dr. Davies asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kurt almost smiled because the look on her face reminded him so much of his sister Santana, but then remembered that grinning was probably not the best thing to do when being confronted about being violent towards another person.

"He insulted Lauren and Mercedes." he replied instead, holding his head high and crossing his legs.

"So… you did it to defend your friends?"

"Yes. It's the right thing to do." the boy said stubbornly.

"What about yourself, Kurt?" the psychiatrist asked.

"Huh?"

"What about defending yourself?"

"I don't understand the question." the boy said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I think you do."

"Nope." he replied looking and sounding like a mini version of Puck.

"From what you told me I know this boy has been bothering you for quite some time now…"

"So?"

"He's been teasing you, insulting you, you said he pushed you down right before the girls appeared."

Kurt just shrugged at that.

"Did he push the girls?"

"No."

"Then why was this the moment you decided to fight back? Why did you never think of defending yourself before?"

The boy appeared to be deep in thought for a minute, but then he just shrugged again. Dr. Davies knew that pushing the matter now would only have the opposite of the desired effect so she decided to change the subject.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"I guess."

"Did you break his nose?" the doctor grinned and it made her look about twenty years younger.

"No, but it must've hurt, cause he cried in front of everyone." the boy giggled. "The girls couldn't believe it! But I told them I got five brothers and …"

"Wait! Five bothers? You only got four brothers, Kurt."

"I know… but I had to count Mike cause he taught us all about the foot work and he's like almost kind of my brother anyways."

The doctor smiled and listened to the boy retell the whole story, obviously exaggerating a few parts. He had come so far from the sad little child that was afraid to speak

"Okay, Kurt. I guess that's all for today." Dr. Davies finally said, looking at her watch.

The boy edged off the giant green chair, but before he could reach the door she stopped him again.

"I know we don't see each other nearly as often as we used to, but I still want you to know that you can talk to me about anything and whenever you need to. You got my phone number for emergencies, right?"

Kurt nodded.

"Okay… and if your parents ask I gave you a big lecture about how violence is wrong and how you should solve all kinds of conflict with your brains and not your fists." she smiled. "I know you got the brains to do it, laddie." she added pointing to his forehead.

"Thanks, Dr. Davies." Kurt smiled and then moved to give her a hug, something he had not done in at least two years. "For everything."

He walked out into the waiting room and surprised his dozing mother with another hug. He knew he was lucky to have a family like his. Nobody had been mad at him for hitting Travis. Of course they had all tried to appear stern and lecture him, but he could tell from the subtle twinkle in their eyes that they were actually rather proud of him. Well, his brothers had not been quite so subtle, carrying him around on their shoulders while humming the theme from "Rocky" for days.

When his mother had walked into school after receiving the call from the principal he was afraid she might be angry or disappointed, but Emma had a whole lot of experience as a mother and was not very easily shocked anymore. She held her ground in front of the steaming principal. In the end she was able to save Kurt from having to attend detention with his bullies, instead he was sentenced to helping the lunch ladies before the start of his school day for the rest of the year. Since he usually arrived at school early anyways and liked the women working in his cafeteria almost as much as they liked him, it did not feel like a punishment at all. Plus he was now able to start the first lesson of the day by presenting his friends with some freshly baked cookies.

Emma was surprised by her son's hug, but enjoyed it nonetheless. She had raised enough boys to know that hugging your mother was one of the most embarrassing things ever and already dreaded the day her youngest would come to that realization, so she treasured any sign of affection from her boys whenever she got it.

"Ready to go home?" she asked while rubbing her eyes to wake up properly.

At home chaos awaited them. It was two days before sectionals and the house was filled with singing, dancing and hyperventilating kids. Not to mention Will, who was so excited he had barely slept in a week. The man was confident that this year he had a glee club who would actually be able to go far.

"Can I call Mercedes?"

"Sure, honey."

Kurt ran to his room, while Emma sighed and grabbed some rubber gloves from the kitchen counter. When the boy returned he found his mother scrubbing the kitchen floor.

"Can I help you?"

"I thought you were going to call your friends?"

"Already did, they're on their way over so we can watch the glee club practice and pretend to be casting show judges. Lauren loves that."

"Well, then you don't want to get your hands dirty with your old mother." Emma smiled.

"I don't understand why you do it. I mean… I know it's cause Thanksgiving is coming up and grandma drives you crazy, but she's not even coming to our house!"

"It calms me down, baby." the mother sighed.

"You sure you don't need any help?"

"No, I still got weeks to go and you're too young to go insane. Go and watch your siblings try to strangle Rachel." she winked.

"Oh my God. You're right! It's almost time!" Kurt gasped after checking his watch.

Both of them laughed. Sure, things in their house were kind of crazy right now, but they were strangely predictable.

* * *

><p><strong>DECEMBER<strong>

"So they won Sectionals?" Dr. Davies asked.

"They rocked it! They totally butchered the other teams! Finn and Rachel sang this amazing duet and Dad had them walk in from the back… I watched them practice about a million times, but I was still so excited Mom had to stop me from climbing my seat."

Dr. Davies smiled as the boy told her every tiny detail of the performances while bouncing in the green chair.

"And the trophy is huge! I can't imagine what the one for Nationals is going to be like if the Sectionals one is already this big!"

"So, am I right in guessing you can't wait to be old enough to join Glee club yourself?"

"Oh, I definitely want to. Only being able to watch was torture for me and Artie, but he gets to join next year, so it was far worse for me!"

"Your school doesn't have a choir?"

"No, my school sucks at everything. Can't wait to get out of there."

"Have things gotten any easier with the teasing?"

"Don't wanna talk about that." he replied crossing his arms defensively.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about."

Kurt only shrugged and Dr. Davies sighed, she really thought he was too young to become a closed off teen.

"How about Thanksgiving? Did you enjoy visiting your grandmother?"

"Yes, it was fun. She taught me a whole new moisturizing routine and I almost talked her into letting me give her a makeover - maybe next year she'll let me. Oh and we got to visit the stables, we could've gone horseback riding but I didn't like the horses or the smell - I'd only ever do it for the clothes."

Rhiannon Davies barely managed to hide her giggle.

"So everything went peacefully? I know you were a little worried about your mom."

"Oh, Mom was fine, she really took all of Grandma's hidden little insults with a stride. I think Grandma went easy on her this year."

"That sounds like it went great."

"Yeah… well…"

"It didn't ?"

"It did until the big dinner. Grandma Victoria tried to tell Santana about how important bleaching can be for girls with dark facial hair and…"

"Oh oh!"

"Yeah…"

"What happened?"

"Tana threw a turkey leg and hit Grandma right in the eye. She had a real shiner the next day!"

"Oh my."

"Well.. She did kind of deserve it… my sister does not have a moustache."

The Welsh woman laughed and shook her head trying to get rid of the vivid mental images.

* * *

><p><strong>JANUARY<strong>

Dr. Davies smiled at the boy's cheeks, which were flushed from the cold outside. He was still busy brushing snow from his hair as he sat down.

"Sorry, for running late." he apologized.

"No worries. I know traffic is horrible out there today."

"Yes, and Finn was driving! I thought we'd never make it here alive!"

"Well, it is nice of him to take you."

"Yeah, him and Puck are trying to spend more time with us since they'll be leaving after summer." he sighed.

"Do they know where they'll be going yet?"

"No. They've applied to a few places but there's no replies yet."

"You're gonna miss them." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes." the boy answered and swallowed hard.

"So, did you have nice holidays?" the doctor asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Yes, they were great. Oh, I got to tell you. You remember how Brit has been campaigning for a puppy for years now?"

"Of course I do."

"Well, she convinced me it would be a really great thing, especially since a lot of our siblings will be moving out in the next few years and things might get lonely. So I started supporting her in front of our parents and helped coming up with good arguments."

"What did they say?"

"Well, it took a while, but they finally caved in. On Christmas day they told us we could get a puppy from a pound or a rescue organization." he clapped excitedly.

"That's great, Kurt."

"Yes! We're still looking but I think we'll find the perfect one soon." he smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>FEBRUARY<strong>

"So, did you get your dog?"

"Yes! He's the best ever. He's a mutt, don't tell my Grandma, and he's absolutely perfect. He's only twelve weeks old and basically just one big ball of fur. Mom was kind of hesitant cause she's so afraid of germs and flea and also said all that fur might be too much work, but I promised to groom him and I really just have to keep Brit from putting too many bows in it."

"That's nice. What's his name?"

"We named him Valentino." he smiled proudly.

"We?"

"Well, I chose the name, but they all liked it. Even though now everyone just keeps calling him Tino."

"What did Lord Tubbington have to say?"

"He wasn't happy at first, but he soon made it clear that he has older rights, which makes him the boss. Now he just gets annoyed when Valentino has too much energy and tries to force him to play. He's hit him on the nose a few times, so the puppy is giving him a little more space."

"Anything else going on?"

"Finn and Rachel broke up about two weeks ago. Something about having different goals in life. I don't understand it at all."

"That's sad. How are they coping?"

"I dunno. Not well. Rachel sometimes comes over when she knows Finn's not there. We watch musicals together, but no matter what I choose, she always ends up crying. Finn cries, too, he'd never admit it, but Puck says he's been crying in his bed at night."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I hate it when my siblings are sad."

"I know."

* * *

><p><strong>MARCH<strong>

"Hey, laddie!"

"Hello, Dr. Davies."

"How are you doing today?"

"I honestly don't know. I'm just really confused."

"Want to tell me about it? It's what I'm here for, remember?

Kurt rolled his eyes but smiled.

"Okay… uhm… Mercedes came over yesterday. We were supposed to work on this project for school."

"And?"

"She has been behaving all weird lately."

"How so?"

"I dunno… just weird. Can I tell my story now?"

"Okay, sorry… go on."

"She asked me if I've ever kissed anyone. I said no. Then she asked me if I'd like to. I didn't really know how to answer that, but before I even could she said that we should kiss to see what it feels like."

"Oh."

"Yeah! Big Oh!"

"Did you do it?"

"Well, I had to, didn't I?"

"No, Kurt. You didn't have to."

"Well, I did anyways."

"How'd it go?"

"It was weird. She just sat there with her lips pursed and her eyes closed. So I moved in and kissed her real quick."

Dr. Davies tried to hide her chuckle after seeing the boys horrified face.

"I'm guessing it wasn't this great first kiss you were looking for?"

"I don't think it even counts! It was over real quick and I think Mercedes was a little disappointed."

"What makes you think that?"

"She said she didn't understand what all the fuss was about." he shrugged.

"Well, as long as it doesn't hurt your friendship."

"Nothing could ever do that! "

"Good."

"Can I leave a little earlier today? Regionals is tomorrow and I want to see the final rehearsal."

"Sure, Kurt. Tell everyone to break a leg!"

* * *

><p><strong>APRIL<strong>

"Hey, laddie! How did the glee club do?"

"They won of course! It was amazing! They did some of their best work ever, even though it is still kind of awkward between Finn and Rachel, especially since he heard that she made out with Puck."

"Oh, drama!"

"Definitely. Finn and Puck didn't talk to each other for a whole week! Sam and Puck even switched rooms! But then Brittany told Finn that Puck actually stopped Rachel and they both apologized and went back to being best brothers."

"Did you enjoy rooming with Puck?"

"It was okay. I mean we shared rooms before, so it wasn't as special. I tried to enjoy it as best as I could cause I know he'll be leaving, but it is hard to enjoy it when he keeps farting all night."

"Oh my!" Dr. Davies laughed.

"He kept blaming poor Tino!"

The woman giggled.

"So your brothers' got accepted to colleges then?"

"Yes, they did. They both got into Ohio State. Both on football scholarships, too."

"It's nice that they won't be all that far away."

"Yes. They promised to visit. I'll be allowed to visit, too. They're thinking of getting a place together. Puck's already joked about not giving a spare key to our parents cause mom might sneak in and clean at night."

* * *

><p><strong>MAY<strong>

"Hey, Kurt. Why the long face?"

"I got this really stupid homework assignment and I don't know what to do."

"Tell me about it."

"It's this kind of genealogy thing. We're supposed to find out our family's origins. It's just so confusing for me."

"I bet it is. Does your teacher know you're adopted?"

"I don't know. I guess. I don't want to complain and have people find out."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, honey."

"I know. I'm not ashamed. I just don't want to stand out any more than I already do, you know?"

"I understand."

The doctor watched the boy sigh and run his hands over his face.

"You can still do it. You could do it for both your families, or for just one. You can pick the more interesting one… or combine the histories to make it more exciting." the therapist tried to help.

"I don't even know where to start."

"That's easy. Let's start with names. Your last name is Schuester, that's German, your Mom's maiden name was?"

"Pillsbury."

"Hm. Let's google it!"

They spent the next ten minutes in front of the doctor's computer.

"Okay, so we've established that you're Anglo-Saxon on your mom's side and German on your Dad's. We also discovered that Schuster is the German word for shoemaker."

"Thanks, that'll help me a lot."

"Do you want to find out about your original family."

The boy nodded, not trusting his voice.

"Okay, your last name was Hummel. That's German as well. How convenient. Want to look up the meaning?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay. Hummel is the German word for bumblebee."

"WHAT? That can't be right"

"That's what it says."

"I'm a bumblebee?" the boy looked offended.

"Not elegant enough for you mister?" the therapist joked.

"That's just too weird."

"I think it's cute." the woman smiled earning herself a glare, which only made her smile wider. "Do you remember your mother's maiden name?"

"Colfer."

"Okay. That's Irish."

"You're of German and Anglo-Saxon / Irish decent, Sir." she smiled. "That enough to get you started?"

"Yes. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, sweetie." the woman smiled. "And remember: you got nothing to be ashamed of."

"I know."

* * *

><p><strong>JUNE<strong>

"Excuse me, mister. I think you got the wrong door. I'm waiting for my patient Kurt. He's this little boy…"

"Ha ha! Very funny."

"Oh, come here you!" the therapist hugged the boy close. "Twelve years old! I'm so proud of you!"

"Don't you dare cry! It's bad enough if mom keeps doing it!"

"Did you have a nice birthday?"

"Yes, we had a great party. I got to do makeovers for all the girls! Well… except for Coach Sue, but I know one day she'll cave!"

"I'd love a picture!" the woman smiled.

"Everyone keeps saying that!"

"So your party was a big success?"

"Yes, well… except for the fact that Tino ate the cake."

"Oh no!"

"Wait, I got pictures of that!"

The boy proceeded to show the funny photographs and the doctor laughed so much her sides started aching.

"So, what else is new?"

"Mercedes confessed that she's got a crush on Sam!"

"Oh wow. How does that make you feel?"

"I don't know. How am I supposed to feel about it?"

"Laddie, you know very well that there's no such thing as being supposed to feel something."

"Yeah… I dunno.. I don't really mind."

"You're not jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous?"

"She used to have a crush on you."

"Oh, that was just silly. We're meant to be best friends forever and nothing else. The kiss made us realize that."

"Gosh, you're so grown up."

"Doc!"

"I'm just saying…"

"You're doing that mom thing again!"

"Okay, sorry." she said. "What does Sam think of all this?"

"He doesn't know."

"You didn't tell him?"

"I can't rat on my best friend! Besides, we're just kids to him, I don't think he's noticed her that way."

"Okay, we'll give him time then."

The boy laughed. After a minute he checked his watch.

"You got somewhere else to be kid?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that everyone's so busy preparing for Nationals and it's all so exciting! They're practicing at our house almost all day every day and I think something's going on between Finn and Rachel again and I'll die if I miss it!"

"Well, we can't have that. Hurry up. And bring me all the juicy details next time!"

* * *

><p><em>AN: Okay, sorry again for the really long wait. A sane and stable person might tell you that they had exams and a boyfriend who actually demanded some attention...<em>

_Since we all know I'm not that kind of person I can only say that I had another major freak out. I also got really mad cuz i felt like ppl were pressuring me for Klaine (I know it's just me pressuring myself). I know I promised Klaine would happen.. and it still is.. I just don't see the rush. If you're only in it for the Klaine there's like a thousand other stories out there. This is and will forever be a Kurt story. To me Blaine does not define who Kurt is... and cuz I'm a spiteful, unstable and insane person I had this big "No Klaine for you!" fit. I just lost all my creativity over getting so worked up. I started different drabbles but couldn't get myself to post anything..._

_I'd like to thank thefieryrose13 for the best comment ever.. I don't want to put any pressure on you by saying you saved this story.. but you definitley made me want to work through my insanity and writer's block._

_Oh and Herzlich Willkommen, Sarah! I'm half German so if you ever struggle with English you're welcome to just write in Deutsch..hehe_

_I love all your comments.. it is so exciting to see that ppl of all ages, genders, nationalities and sexual orientations are reading my weird ideas._

_Oh and sorry.. this was kind of another filler chapter.. I kind of chose to combine my drabbles in a kind of interview with the best therapist ever. (Do I say "kind of" kind of a lot?)_

_Next chapter I'll be back on my original track._


	47. Chapter 47: Emotional

_Thanks for all your messages and reviews!_

* * *

><p>Kurt turned around on the bed and burrowed his face in the pillow, he frowned at the unfamiliar scent. Where was he? This could not be his bed. He blinked his eyes open and recognized his parents' bedroom. Oh right, he had come here to sulk several hours ago. The parents' room was - excluding the bathrooms - the only one that could be locked from the inside, years of siblings being locked out by their roommates had taught Will and Emma that valuable lesson, and Kurt had really wanted to be left alone to dwell in his misery.<p>

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, as he remembered why exactly he was hiding from his family. He sat up hugging the pillow to his chest and pouted.

Life was unfair. Life was cruel. And Kurt Schuester's life definitely had to be the worst out of all the people in the world. His life was taunting him worse than any bully ever had and his family was not supporting him in the least. He was not going to ever leave this room again!

A knock on the door interrupted his little pity party.

"Ranger?" his brother's voice sounded muffled through the door. "Are you in there? Everyone's looking for you."

The younger boy scowled at the door. Let them look all over the house, the city, if they wanted to! It served them right.

"Come on, ranger. Let me in."

Kurt didn't like hearing his brother sound so sad, but there was no way he was going to give in now. He listened to a begging Noah for a few more minutes but eventually the older boy must have given up and it got quiet again. The boy on the bed sighed in a way only people suffering from terminal diseases or broken hearts could sigh, he was absolutely sure of that, if people could see him now they would be sure to find his misery tragically romantic.

"Kurtie? Are you in there?" Brittany's voice interrupted him. "Please come out. We miss you."

The boy simply wondered who would play him in the made for television movie or mini series about his tragic life. He kind of hoped there would be a musical, this simply begged for a tragic ballad.

"Dude? We got food down there!" was Finn's attempt.

The younger boy did not respond. Instead he got lost in his thoughts again. He remembered watching a musical with Rachel a couple of weeks ago, she had been suffering due to her break up with Finn and had asked him if he ever imagined what his own funeral would be like. Kurt had thought she was crazy at the time. He did not like funerals, he did not like attending them or even thinking about them, but right now the idea of watching his family cry and regret ever having treated him like this was tempting.

"Kurt!" Will's voice boomed from the other side of the door making him jump. "Stop behaving like a spoiled little brat! This is not like you! I'm giving you five minutes to join us downstairs."

The boy could hear his father walk away and angrily threw the pillow at the door. He crossed his arms over his chest. This was not fair! He was not the one behaving badly. They were the mean ones.

"Little bro!" Santana's voice was the next to come through the door. "Get your cute little butt out of there! It's almost time! This is not the moment to battle Rachel for the drama queen crown! You know you'll hate yourself if you let your pride get in the way now."

The boy knew she was right. He would be regretting this, deep down he knew it, but there was something else inside of him right now, something ugly and burning hot and whatever it was did not allow him to see reason right now. It had a tight grip on him and all he was able to feel was the incredible injustice being done to him on this very day.

"Baby?" his mother's voice interrupted. "Come downstairs, please."

"No!" he yelled, already feeling hot, angry tears rise up.

"Honey, you're being unreasonable and behaving like a five year old! Now come on downstairs!"

"No! I'm not coming downstairs! I'm never coming out of here again!"

"Kurt!"

"No! I hate you! I hate all of you!" he yelled and immediately held his breath when he realized what he had just said.

For a minute there was only silence on the other side of the door and then he could hear the soft retreating footsteps of his mother. Kurt gasped and then flew out of the bed and to the door. He struggled with the lock for what felt like ages but finally the door opened and he stormed down the hall.

"Mommy!" he cried.

Emma had reached the top of the stairs and turned around at her little boy's desperate cry. Tears were shining in her big, round eyes.

"Mommy! I'm so sorry!" he yelled as he flung himself into her arms. "I'm so sorry! I don't hate you! Please believe that I don't hate you!"

"Shhh… it's okay, baby." the woman said rocking him in her arms. "I know. I know."

"I'm so sorry! I don't know why I said that."

"Welcome to puberty, honey!" the mother smiled kissing his nose.

Emma held her little boy until he had calmed down, gently kissing his hair.

"Ready to go downstairs? We have to leave in just a few minutes."

"Okay." the boy whispered, wiping his tears.

He was nervous as they entered the living room, he still thought this whole situation was completely unfair to him, but he also knew that he had behaved quite childish and overemotional. He hoped they would not tease him about it too much.

The whole family was there, plus the Berry family and Sue with Becky. A lot of suitcases were standing near the exit. They all stopped talking as Kurt appeared, making him feel very self-conscious.

"Sorry." he mumbled, looking at his feet.

"It's okay, ranger." Noah said. "We all know how much you wanted to go to New York."

"We will bring back souvenirs." Sam piped up.

"I'll get you a Wicked playbill." Rachel promised hugging him close.

"Please don't cry, Kurtie. If it makes you sad I won't go." Brittany declared, making her Dad look like he was close to suffering a stroke.

"No, Brit. You should go, you earned it." Kurt assured his sister.

"The taxis are here." one of Rachel's dads announced and the men began carrying the luggage outside.

Santana hugged her little brother close, kissing a couple of his tears away.

"You will get your chance to shine, baby bro. New York is still preparing for you."

"I will call you from the airport and then from the hotel and every morning and every night and you can call me whenever you need to, okay?" Emma said as fast as she could while holding him close, then moved to hug Artie and tell him the same.

"I never thought I would say this…" Will said to both boys "… but please listen to Sue, okay?"

"Yes, dad." the two boys chorused.

And then there was a rush of movement, a lot of yelled good byes and "break a legs" and Artie, Kurt, Becky and Sue were alone, as the Berry men walked home to enjoy their time without their daughter.

"I can't believe we're missing out on this." Artie whispered and Kurt looked at his older brother knowing he was not the only one suffering. He wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders and sighed.

"Good. Let's get started." Sue addressed the boys. "Wheels, Porcelain, where does your father stash the barrels of butter for his ridiculous hair?"

The boys looked at each other. How were they supposed to make it through this long weekend?

It had been decided that it would be more comfortable for Artie if they stayed in the Schuester home, so Becky and Sue moved in with them for the four days their family was gone. It was Thursday afternoon, they had school on Friday, Saturday was the day of Nationals and their loved ones would return on Sunday. It did not sound that long when you were not being eaten by your envy and cared for by a crazy cheerleading coach.

When their mother called them that evening they assured her that they were fine. When Santana called a little while later to describe an epic pillow fight they laughed with their sisters over the phone and joined in on Brittany's conspiracy theories as to why Finn and Rachel seemed to be missing.

The next morning when their mother called they did not complain about Sue dragging them out of bed at an ungodly hour and making them exercise before breakfast - being bound to a wheelchair was no valid excuse -, they also did not mention that breakfast had consisted of some very questionable protein shakes. Both boys made it through school in a daze, talking to their friends about what they would do once they got the chance to go to New York.

"I'll definitely have breakfast at Tiffany's and visit the Gershwin Theatre." Kurt said.

"Don't mention breakfast." Artie cringed.

"I like the shakes, but in New York I'd have lobster for breakfast." Becky piped up; Kurt could not help but picture her as a mafia boss.

"I'd sing in the middle of Time Square." Mercedes dreamed.

"I'd shop until I passed out." Tina added.

"I'd just walk into MTV and tell them I'm exactly what they've been looking for." Lauren grinned confidently.

When the boys got home their siblings had already sent them a couple of videos of their New York adventures. Finn loved all the hot dog stands, Sam found a group of Star Wars impersonators and got his picture taken with Chewbacca and Puck could not help but tease one of the very imposing cops and almost got himself arrested. The boys laughed even more after their parents called them to tell them that the Glee club had been grounded to the hotel to prepare for the competition and did not get to see that much of New York at all. If only they knew!

On Saturday both boys were beyond excited. Artie spent most of the day searching the internet for a possible live stream. Was there really no show choir tumblr to help them out? Kurt was simply very hyper and could not sit still at all, he kept running around the house and when Sue called him for dinner he kept jumping in his seat.

"Okay, that's it gelfling!" the woman said, grabbing him by the shoulder and leading him to the backyard. "Three laps around the house." she told him.

"Wait… what?" the boy questioned, cocking his head.

"We run around the house to get rid off the extra energy." Becky said taking his hand and laughing. "Come on it's fun!"

They took off running, on their second round they almost ran into Artie and his wheelchair, the older boy looking a little lost.

"She just wheeled me out here." he told them.

The younger kids giggled as Kurt grabbed the wheelchair's handles and pushed his brother for two more rounds.

When they got back inside - out of breath, but happy - it was just in time for their mother's phone call. Emma talked her sons through the whole competition, describing costumes and choreographies whenever they asked. She got quiet when New Directions took the stage. The boys beamed, even through the phone their siblings and friends sounded great. When the performance ended everything stayed eerily silent.

"What's going on?" Kurt asked.

"I got to go boys. I'll tell you later." their mother replied in a hushed voice.

The boys did not hear from anyone for several hours and when they finally reached Brittany's phone they could barely make out her voice over Santana screaming something Spanish in the background.

"Finn and Rachel are back together." was the only thing they understood.


	48. Chapter 48: Graduates

_Mean little teaser chapter!_

* * *

><p>When the New Directions returned home, they were treated like champions, even though they had only made twelfth place. Kurt and Artie were so excited to get their family back - and escape Sue's protein shakes - they barely slept the night before. The two boys decorated the house with everything they could find, including all their birthday party things and some stuff that was left over from Puck's bar mitzvah. Becky was happy to help and Sue had just let them be, hoping it would tire them out enough not to get on her nerves while she had a phone interview with a cheerleading magazine.<p>

When the family arrived at the house, they could not help but smile at their two youngest son's efforts to make them feel special. Sue greeted them before the young boys could.

"Schuester, here's your spawn. I'm returning both of them in perfect condition. Couldn't get that one to get off his ass though." she added pointing at Artie. "As much as I would love to hear about what it feels like not to win, Becky and I will have to go now. We got a lot of butter to donate to unfortunate curly-haired individuals."

With the two blonde neighbors gone, nothing was stopping Artie and Kurt from tackling their family members into hugs.

"Welcome home." they greeted. "We are so proud of you."

Santana rolled her eyes and made some sarcastic sounding comments in Spanish, but everyone else seemed to be in a fairly good mood. Rachel kept gushing about how romantic it was to sacrifice one's career for love. She gave Kurt the promised Wicked playbill and a signed picture of Patti Lupone. It read: _"To Kurt, reach for the stars. Patti Lupone"_

Kurt squealed and jumped up and down for almost an hour, he stopped long after Rachel had to leave, wanting to use the fresh memories to write a song about her love story. The family just watched their youngest member, smiling knowingly. This picture meant a lot to him.

Once the boy had calmed down, he joined his brother in unwrapping all the souvenirs their siblings had brought them. Of course there were a lot of t-shirts, the classic "I love New York" ones and some with pictures of the Statue of Liberty, also a few from the Disney Store, which both boys loved. Brittany had collected every flyer she could get on Broadway and promised Kurt they could make a collage out of them together. Puck loved telling his youngest siblings about his New York adventures and how hot the girls were in the big city. Sam gave some perfect impressions of the few genuine New Yorkers they had met. Emma just would not let go of her two babies, she had missed her youngest sons a lot.

The whole family finally settled down to watch a recording of the glee club's performance. Finn was unusually quiet, just sitting there and blushing. Santana excused herself to go and call Quinn, even though the two girls had spent every minute of the last few days together. She did rejoin her family for dinner and her mood seemed to have softened considerably as she kept cuddling Kurt close and joking around like everybody else and if some of her mashed potatoes hit Finn in the face that was purely accidental.

* * *

><p>The weeks flew by and soon the Schuester family had to face another milestone. It was graduation day for Finn and Puck. Of course they all attended the ceremony and Emma cried at seeing her boys look so handsome and grown up in their gowns. She could not believe that these were the children she had raised. Finn had been so tiny when they had picked him up from hospital, they had been warned he would always suffer from disabilities caused by his birth mother's addiction. And Noah had been such an angry and troubled child, haunted by the knowledge that his own mother had not wanted him anymore and that he had a sister he never really got to know. And now her little boys were men, they had graduated with good grades and would be leaving for college soon. Will hugged his wife close at hearing a loud sob escape her.<p>

"We can be so proud of them - and of ourselves." he whispered before kissing her hair.

Of course Puck was the first to throw his graduation cap in the air.

"We rocked this school!" he yelled, causing his whole family and their friends to giggle. Quinn, Rachel and Finn quickly followed his example.

The younger siblings all dreamed of the day they would be up on that stage receiving their diplomas, but they were also a little sad because they did not want their brothers to move away. They knew they still had some weeks to enjoy together though, so they did not allow those thoughts to ruin the party. And like all Schuester parties this one was epic!

* * *

><p>Just a few days later Kurt found himself lying awake in his bed. He was tired but he just could not sleep and since Sam and Mike had gone to football camp the day before, he did not have his brother to talk to. He sighed rolling around on the bed. This was hopeless, he never slept well on full moon nights. He did not want to go and wake his sisters or brothers, but he knew he needed to find something to do, because sleep did not seem like an option. He briefly thought about going downstairs and watching some television, but that would surely wake Artie or even his parents and his mother hated it when he watched nighttime television, she had once caught him watching Chelsea Lately and had completely freaked out.<p>

Suddenly Kurt remembered the brand new issue of Teen Vogue magazine he had been able to borrow from Mercedes that day. He got up and looked for it all over his room. It was not on the desk or in his bag. Where could it be? Had he left it downstairs? He thought back to his visit with his friend, Finn had picked him up afterwards, stopping for some ice cream on the way home, which Kurt had only asked for to spend a little more time with his goofy big brother. The car! He must have left the magazine in the car. Kurt pouted, he really wanted that magazine now. He carefully tiptoed out of his room and down the stairs. The bowl with the family's keys was on the counter, both of his brother's sets of keys were there. He picked one and slowly moved out of the door. He walked to the car, happy that this was a mild summer's night, because he had forgotten to bring some shoes. He climbed into the car looking for the magazine. He finally spotted it on the backseat floor. He gave a muffled yell of triumph and dived for it. The backseat was actually quite comfortable and with the full moon and a nearby street lantern the boy had enough light to read a few pages. He would just enjoy this for a bit and then go back inside. He curled up on the back seat feeling quite adventurous.

Kurt awoke hours later, feeling confused and disoriented. He remembered sneaking outside and reading in the car, he must have fallen asleep on the backseat, but since he was now on the floor in front of it he must have rolled off. He wondered how he had been able to sleep in such an uncomfortable position, but not in his own bed. Then he noticed something very important - the car was moving.

Oh my god! Had someone stolen the car? Was he being kidnapped?

Kurt slowly climbed back up on the seat and stole a glance at the driver.

"Noah?" he asked, when he recognized his brother. "Where are we going?"

"SHIT!" Puck reacted so violently to being startled by his little brother, he briefly lost control of the steering wheel, the car swerved and they almost ended up in a ditch, but the teenager managed to turn the wheel in the other direction at the very last moment. He hit the brake and took a deep calming breath.

"Ranger! What the fuck are you doing here."

"Mom says you have to give me a dime every time you swear in front of me." Kurt grinned holding out his hand.

The older boy just looked at his little brother, who clearly had not realized the seriousness of their situation.

"God! Kurt! This is… you really can't be here right now!"

The twelve-year-old frowned at his brother calling him by his name, something he had not done in a long time.

"What's so bad? We will just go where you have to go and then you can take me home."

"I can't take you with me."

"Why not?"

"I just can't okay!" the older boy said running his hands over his face. This was so not good.

"Well, take me home then." Kurt pouted and crossed his arms.

"I can't do that either!" Noah replied hitting the wheel.

"Why not?"

"Because we're already hours away from home and I really can't turn back now."

The younger boy looked out of the side window. The sun was already up high, probably close to noon. He did not know when his brother had started driving, but he had been in the car for almost ten hours.

"I'm still in my pajamas." he said frowning.

Puck laughed at that and soon they were both giggling hysterically. After a few minutes Kurt climbed into the passenger seat and faced his big brother.

"Where are we going?" he asked with wide eyes.

"I'm going to California. I'm going to visit my little sister."

"Oh. Well, I look forward to meeting her."

"You're not meeting her. You're going home."

"But you said it's too late to turn around. How would I get there?"

Noah rubbed his face again, he had not figured that part out yet. This was definitely not going as planned.

"Take me with you."

"No."

"Please."

"I said no."

"Please Noah. I'll be useful!"

The older boy just looked at his little brother questioningly.

"And how exactly would you be that?" he asked.

"Your sister is my age, right? So it would be really weird if a strange eighteen-year-old walked up to her - and she might get scared. I'm not scary. I could talk to her. Or if she's at a youth center or summer school, I could go in there, but you could not."

"You want to be my spy?"

"Yes! I could even ring at her door. Your mother would not recognize me and I could just say I'm a friend." Kurt smiled, obviously proud of his idea.

"I don't know, ranger." Puck said hesitantly.

"Please! I promise I'll be good! And this will be our last adventure before you leave me behind." Tears filled the boy's brilliant blue eyes.

The older boy gave a deep sigh before starting the car.

"Mom is going to kill me!" he said.

Kurt cheered and clapped his hands excitedly before looking down at himself and frowning.

"Noah, we need to stop and get me some clothes. ASAP!"

* * *

><p>Back home in Ohio Emma was going insane. She went from crying to screaming to threatening to call the police. She was so worried for both her boys. She was a good mother and she was pretty sure she knew where they were heading. During her calmer moments she wondered if she should call ahead and let Mrs. Puckerman know her son was coming. Would that be the right thing? But how would the woman react? Would she call the police? Would Noah get arrested? Would his college career be ruined before it even began? And what about the emotional trauma of being rejected yet again? What if Sarah did not want to meet her brother? Maybe she did not even know she had one.<p>

And all those thoughts were only important if the boys actually made it to California. There was so much that could happen on the way there. The boys could easily get into a car accident, Noah would be tired after the long drive. They could get hurt or kidnapped. They could simply get lost in a deserted area and starve to death.

Emma kept punching her son's number into her phone. Why would he not pick up? Was he afraid she might be able to talk him out of his plans? Or had something already happened?

It would take the boys days to get to California and Emma could not sit around that long. She turned to her husband who was looking at her worriedly.

"I need a plane ticket."

* * *

><p><em>Sorry for the mean cliffhanger! I'm so cruel. Next: Road Trip!<em>

_Thanks to everyone for the nice reviews and messages._

_Special thanks to Stephen for talking to me and listening to all my Kurt obsessions even tho he's a Blaine stan! hehe. You're so patient!_

_My apologies to Lydia who thought I might be good at giving advice and discovered that i totally suck at it._

_I think it's so funny that people actually miss my AN rants when I don't do them. I dunno.. I guess I was really disappointed with this fandom for a while. People are so scary, attacking their stars for innocent comments and all._

_I also thought it was kinda weird that straight girls were attacking Chris over his comments about gay teens. What are you upset about? I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, okay? For a gay teen in high school love and romance are not easy to come by, most of us don't get to experience it. Sex however? Damn easy. Takes you about 5 minutes online._

_Ugh... I don't wanna get up on my soap box all the time._

_My Kurt will find love, let's stay positive and just hold on to that._


	49. Chapter 49 : Road Trip

_Thanks for all the kind reviews! Over 500 now! You rock!_

* * *

><p>"You've got to be kidding me." Kurt said shaking his head. "This is not happening."<p>

He stared straight ahead, ignoring his brother stepping out of the car. Puck rounded the vehicle and opened the passenger door.

"Ranger." he said "Come on. We don't have time."

"Please tell me you're joking." the younger boy pleaded, turning to look at his brother with wide eyes.

"I'm not joking. You said you needed clothes."

"Yes! Clothes!" Kurt replied, facing back to the front and shuddering while looking at the building ahead. "That's a Walmart!"

Puck suppressed a laugh at his little brother's dramatic and accusing tone. The younger boy huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Quit pouting, ranger! They've got lots of clothes in there. We don't have enough money to go anywhere else. We need to save everything we can for gas and food."

"What if I promise not to eat anything?" the younger boy asked with a hopeful expression on his freckled face.

"Not an option. Now come on."

Kurt just sighed and looked down at his pajamas. Maybe wearing them for the rest of the trip would not be so bad?

"I'll let you get anything you want. Even if it's from the girl's section." Noah coaxed.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Okay." the smaller boy said, climbing out of the car. "But if I end up looking like Artie I will never forgive you."

Puck just laughed and wrapped an arm around his brother, leading him to the store's entrance before he could change his mind and make a run for it.

Inside they decided to split up. Kurt went to the clothing section while his older brother got drinks and food. He even got a fashion magazine, which he hid under his seat in the car, planning to use it in case another tantrum emergency came up. The older boy took a minute to send a quick text to his father back home. They had decided to send one text a day so the family knew they were okay, but kept the phone switched off for the rest of the time.

When Puck walked back into the store and towards the clothing section it was not hard to find his little brother. Several young female employees stood around giggling while the young boy modeled his favorite outfits, bowing, twirling and dazzling everyone with bright smiles. The older brother could not help but grin and joined the audience. By the time Kurt had enough and decided on a pair of plaid knee-length shorts, two girl's t-shirts and a light jacket, his brother had collected several telephone numbers. They picked up some socks, underwear and a pair of red chucks and headed to the cashiers. Noah winced when he saw the price, but he knew it could have been much worse and they were back on the road in no time.

* * *

><p>Emma sat on the plane, nervously tapping her heels against the floor. She hated flying, she hated being so out of control, her life in the hands of people she did not even get to see. The captain's voice creaking through the speakers did nothing to reassure her, nor did the board staff's safety demonstrations. She closed her eyes tightly as the plane began to taxi down the runway. Oh how she would have loved to take a deep breath to calm herself, but of course she could not risk that as the seat next to her was occupied by the state's sweatiest man. The big guy kept smiling at her as he wiped his face and neck with a yellowing handkerchief and she had to remind herself that she was doing this for her children. The mother kept glancing at her watch even though she knew she would be arriving in California days before her sons. She did not even know what she was going to do once she got there, she had simply been unable to sit at home and do nothing, leaving her husband behind with five frantic teenagers.<p>

"Oh Will." she whispered, ignoring the sweaty man's stare. "How do I even deserve you?"

* * *

><p>Puck groaned trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. They had decided to only stay in motels on the colder nights or when the older boy was really exhausted after a bad day behind the wheel, on the other nights they slept in the car. Right now Noah was busy trying not to break his back while curling up on the passenger seat, while his little brother was spread out on the backseat.<p>

"Not fair." the older boy mumbled.

He knew he had agreed to let the younger boy have the back seat because he thought a little back pain would be easier to endure than a cranky Kurt, but right now he wanted nothing more than to stretch out just a little bit. He sighed and got out of the car. He did a few jumping jacks, taking deep breaths of fresh air and stretching his sore muscles, before climbing onto the back seat.

"Scoot over, ranger." he whispered.

"I don't wanna go for a run ,Coach Sue. I don't care if it means I won't get my breakfast shake." the small boy mumbled in his sleep.

Puck gave him a confused look but then just squeezed himself onto the seat, immediately knowing that he was far too tall for this to me any more comfortable than the passenger's seat, but he was so tired he fell asleep anyways.

The boys awoke to a loud knocking sound. They looked around sleepily and confused and smiled when they caught each other's expressions. Kurt was sprawled out on his brother's chest, his hair sticking up in every direction and Puck's mohawk was flattened by the seat, drool covering a big part of his chin.

"Eww, Noah." Kurt giggled.

"Don't you "eww" me with hair like that!" the older boy replied, pointing to his brother's head.

Kurt was wiggling his way towards the rearview mirror when another knock interrupted them. Someone was standing right outside of their car.

"Stay close to me and let me do the talking." Puck instructed his little brother, before slowly rolling down the window.

Standing next to the car was a young policeman, who had probably graduated only recently. Yet he was on his own.

"Can we help you, officer?" Puck asked, eying the young man.

The officer looked at the two boys in the car, raising his eyebrows, before he turned back to address Puck.

"Care to explain what you're doing in a car with that child?"

The teenager looked at the officer, then at his little brother and back at the officer in shock.

"Dude! That's my baby brother!"

Kurt nodded emphatically.

"And what are you and your little brother doing here in the middle of the night?"

"We're taking a break. We got a long journey ahead of us." said Puck.

The officer still looked skeptical.

"It's a family emergency."

"Does your family know you're doing this?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay, get out of the car and show me some ID."

The two boys climbed out and Puck handed the man his driver's license.

"Noah Schuester." the man read. "And your brother's name is?"

"Kurt." the younger boy piped up.

"Okay, Noah and Kurt. Do you have a note from your parents?"

"No…"

"I'm eighteen, sir." Puck tried to charm the man with a smile.

"I'd still like to talk to one of your parents. Can you give me a name and phone number?"

Noah froze in panic, a state that did not lessen when he suddenly heard his brother's voice make a surprising statement.

"Our mother is called Sue Sylvester. She doesn't like to be disturbed."

"That cheerleading coach? She was on Letterman last night." the cop said, obviously impressed.

"Exactly. That's her!"

"I didn't know she had kids."

"Well, she likes to keep us a secret. Her Wikipedia entry still claims she's only thirty, you know."

Puck looked at his little brother like he had just discovered he had been traveling with an alien all theses days, but the policeman slowly nodded, probably thinking that Sue Sylvester was the kind of eccentric person to do such a thing.

"I would still like to talk to her." he said, sounding just a little less sure of himself. "What's her number?"

Puck's tongue had become incredibly dry and heavy, pearls of sweat were appearing on his forehead and when he opened his mouth nothing came out. His little brother stepped forward, rattling down numbers like it was the most normal thing in the world to set a provincial cop up to disturbing Sue Sylvester and not - like the older boy thought - a sure death wish.

The uniformed man typed the numbers into his phone and waited for someone to answer, looking slightly nervous.

"_This better be an emergency or you're dead." _a voice answered.

"Uhm… Ms. Sylvester? Sue Sylvester? I'm terribly sorry to be disturbing you at this late hour, but I just happened upon your sons and…"

"_My sons?"_

"Noah and Kurt? They're your son's right?"

"_Of course they are. Do you think I raise my kids to be liars?"_

The cop furrowed his brows, that statement had made no sense to him, but the woman sounded quite scary and he did not dare question her.

"I just wanted to make sure that these boys had permission to travel across the country without your supervision."

"_Who says I'm not supervising? I got eyes and ears everywhere!"_

"Uhm… of course.. Ma'm. So it is okay for them to travel alone?"

"_Did you get your license at clown's college? I just told you it's fine. Now let those boys go, their time is almost as precious as my own."_

"Yes, of course. Have a good night. Bye." the man hung up looking visibly shaken.

Only about five minutes after the policeman had climbed on his motorcycle and driven away did Puck find his voice again.

"I can't believe this just happened." he said.

"Me neither." Kurt giggled.

"I can't believe you gave him the coach's number!"

"Don't be stupid! I didn't give him Sue's number!"

"But… who else would be able to be that intimidating at two in the morning?" the older boy questioned.

His little brother simply raised an eyebrow at the question, waiting for realization to hit the older teen.

"Santana!" Puck exclaimed, making his little brother giggle with delight. "Ranger, you're the smartest kid to ever walk this planet!"

* * *

><p>Emma stepped into her hotel room and sighed. She knew she still had a lot of time before her two sons would arrive in California, but she did not know how to use that time. Should she contact Noah's mother? Would she make things worse if she did? She was worrying so much she was beginning to feel sick to her stomach. There was only one thing she could do right now.<p>

The ginger woman slowly opened her suitcase and removed a bag she had packed when her husband had not been looking. She pulled out a bottle of household detergent and moved to the en-suite bathroom. She dropped to her knees with a sigh and began to scrub the floor. She just needed to be able to think.

* * *

><p>Kurt stared at the car's floor and wrinkled his nose. Days of traveling almost non-stop and living off fast food in spite of the younger boy's protests, had turned the vehicle into a dump. He briefly thought about telling his brother that they shouldn't be living like pigs, but the older boy had become more and more tense the closer they got to their destination and he did not want to push his luck.<p>

They had a little celebration when they crossed the Californian state border, Noah being so relieved he had surprised the younger boy with another fashion magazine - Kurt's third on the current trip. Of course this meant hours of silence and peave for Puck.

They rolled down the windows and sucked in the warm air. Kurt let the wind brush through the fingers of his right hand and smiled. Event though they had had their arguments and rough times, he loved spending all this time with his brother. He took another deep breath and wondered why the air smelled so special here, it was like he could taste it - it tasted salty. And that was when he saw the sign.

"Beach!" he yelled excitedly.

"What did you just call me?"

"B-E-A-C-H, Noah"

"Oh."

"Can we go, please?"

"I don't know, ranger." the older boy replied.

"PLEASE. I've never seen the ocean before."

"Neither have I, bro."

"Then let's go."

They passed another sign.

"It's thirteen miles, ranger. We really can't waste any time."

"Please, Noah." Kurt's eyes seemed to magically grow even larger as he faced his brother.

Puck sighed. How was anybody supposed to resist that look?

"Okay. But we're not gonna stay for long."

They made it to the beach and both boys were running as soon as Noah had put the car into park. He caught his little brother and threw him over his shoulder, running towards the waves and threatening to throw him into the water. Kurt squealed. They got rid off their shoesand socks and enjoyed the sand between their toes before wading through the shallow waters.

After half an hour of splashing around they sat down in the sand, Kurt leaning against his brother's shoulder. There was no need to talk. They knew they were close to their goal and that things would be turning serious soon.

* * *

><p><em>AN: I'm so sorry for doing this to poor Emma!<em>

_Next up: Sarah_

_Is anybody else excited for the MJ episode? I don't even like Michael and I just can't wait. Naya kicks ass during Smooth Criminal_


	50. Chapter 50: Sarah

50th Chapter! Woooohooo!

* * *

><p>Emma Schuester let her exhausted body drop onto the bed and stared at her raw, red hands. What was she doing to herself? And how exactly did she think she was helping her sons right now? She had not even left her hotel room in two whole days, keeping herself locked up and only taking breaks from cleaning to answer her husband's worried calls and ask him if the boys had texted anything that might give away their current location.<p>

"I'm so useless." she whispered.

She knew her son's could reach the city any minute now. She needed to get into action. The mother got up and looked at herself in the full length mirror on the door. She looked terrible. Her hair was greasy and all tangled up. Her clothes were crumpled around her slight body frame, there were dark circles under her eyes and the rest of her skin looked almost on fire.

"Get a grip, Emma." she told herself. "You're a mother and you're stronger than this. Go help your boys!"

She took a hot shower and made sure to wash her hair thoroughly. She walked back to the bed in the hotel's bathrobe, something she would not normally do. She just had to prove to herself that her illness was not controlling her now; she needed her motherly instincts to run on. The woman smiled when she reached into her suitcase and pulled out a bottle of body lotion. It was a very expensive brand; her mother got it imported from somewhere in France. Emma had received some lotion, shower gel or moisturizer for every birthday or Christmas in the last ten years, but had only begun using them about two years ago. She smiled at the memory of her youngest son's earnest little face while he was teaching her about the importance of skin care.

Emma took her time rubbing the soothing lotion into her skin, then got dressed in one of her favorite outfits. She needed to feel comfortable yet respectable right now. She phoned reception and asked for a taxi, which was already waiting for her when she walked through the little lobby. The ginger woman smiled at the driver and gave him the address they had been sending Noah's letters, cards and pictures to for the last few years, all without the poor boy ever receiving a reply.

The house was smaller than her own, but it was situated in a friendly looking area and had its own garden. She walked up to the front door and inhaled sharply when she read the name on the sign. They had sent all their letters to Puckerman, but this read Schwartz. Had the family moved without telling them? Or had the address been wrong all this time? Was her son making this long journey just to be terribly disappointed?

Emma held her breath as she rang the bell.

* * *

><p>Kurt pushed the greasy burger as far away from himself as was possible without actually throwing it off the table.<p>

"Please, Noah. I can't see this food anymore. Why do these places never have salad bars?"

"It's not that bad, you know." his brother answered with a mouth full of fries.

"Eww! Manners! And it is bad! I'm twelve, do you know what fatty foods do to the skin of twelve year olds? They give you spots! I'll get spotty! Spotty and fat! Oh my God! As soon as we get home I'll have to ask Coach Sue to help me with a workout regimen!"

Puck laughed at his little brother's outburst, wondering if it was time for yet another magazine.

"We're almost there, ranger. I think it will only take us another two hours. And when we get home you can have all the salad in the world to eat or put on your face - whatever you prefer."

Kurt only raised an eyebrow at his older brother's statement.

"Okay. Let's get going." Noah grinned, pulling the smaller boy out of his seat.

* * *

><p>Relief washed over Emma as the door opened and she recognized the dark-haired woman's face.<p>

"Hello Rebecca." she said.

The taller woman froze in place; it had been years since she had last seen the ginger. Eleven years to be exact, all those years since she gave up the rights to her firstborn and handed him to the counselor.

"Hi." was all she managed to get out, her voice breaking even on the short syllable.

"Can I come in?" Emma asked, her tone making it very clear that a "no" would not be accepted.

Rebecca stepped aside and let the woman who had been raising her son walk into her house. She motioned her to the living room and the women sat down on two couches, facing each other. Neither said a word for a few minutes.

"So, he's coming." Rebecca finally broke the silence.

Emma simply nodded, watching the other woman closely.

Rebecca was not surprised. Deep inside she had always known the day would come. Noah was eighteen now and he had questions. Questions he was expecting her to answer. The tall woman broke into tears.

* * *

><p>"I don't think I can do this." Puck groaned hitting his head against the steering wheel.<p>

"Of course you can." his brother disagreed.

"No, ranger. You don't understand. I really can't do this. I can't face them. They've already rejected me once; I can't go through this again."

Kurt was shocked by the tears in his brother's eyes. He had never seen the older boy look so fragile and scared before.

"Sarah never rejected you." was all he could think of to say.

"I know. And I don't think I could take it if she did." Noah cried. "What if she does, ranger? Who knows what they told her about me? Or if they told her about me at all!"

Kurt bit his lip and appeared to be deep in thought for a minute, listening to his brother's shaking breaths.

"You drove through the whole country to see her. You kidnapped me, forced me to wear synthetic fibers and most likely ruined my complexion and body mass index. We should at least take a look. Maybe we can take a picture?"

Puck shook his head but seemed to calm down.

"We'll just look, Noah. Then you can decide if you want to talk to her or not."

"Okay."

They got out of the car and took a few steps towards the house.

"Don't you want to take your guitar?" Kurt asked, pointing to the trunk.

"How do you even know it's in there? I never opened it when you were watching."

"Like there's anything you were able to hide from me in the last few days." the younger boy said shaking his head. "I know about the cigarettes you're hiding in your door, about that girl at the gas station and I know there's still three magazines waiting for me under your seat."

Puck watched his little brother saunter off with his mouth hanging open. Damn that kid was getting far too clever for him.

"Ranger, wait! Not so fast."

Just as the older teen had caught up with his brother, the door to the house they were approaching opened and a girl stepped out. Noah Puckerman froze.

* * *

><p>"I gave Sarah some money and told her to grab some ice cream from the shop on the corner." Rebecca explained as she returned to the room.<p>

Emma had only caught a glimpse of the little girl. Long dark hair in a ponytail and tanned skin, accentuated by her bright summer dress. She had looked like a mini version of Rachel Berry to her.

"She is beautiful." Emma said, causing Rebecca to beam with pride. "Just like her brother."

The other woman's smile fell. Guilt washed over her features.

"I got married again." she said, changing the subject. "He's good to me and a great father to Sarah."

So that explained the new name. Emma only nodded, not wanting to cause the other woman to stop talking.

"He's got a great job. I wouldn't have to work, but I just started going back part-time. I get so lonely when she's at school. She's so smart for her age, too, a straight A student."

"Does she know about him?" Emma was tired of talking around the subject at hand.

* * *

><p>The little girl stopped right in front of the boys, shyly glancing at them.<p>

"Hi." she said. "I'm Sarah."

"I'm Kurt." the younger boy said after looking at his temporarily paralyzed brother.

"And you're Noah." she said smiling at the taller teen. "I was hoping you'd come."

Puck could only nod, still too stunned to speak. This was his little sister and she was perfect. He could tell that they had the same eyes, hair and even skin tone and he would have never thought that a female version of himself could be so pretty.

"Want to get some ice cream?" the girl asked reaching for her brother's hand.

The boys allowed her to lead them away. She kept up a steady chatter about ice cream flavors and by the time they reached the shop Noah trusted his voice enough to tell her he liked pistachio. The girl beamed at him, saying it was her favorite as well. Kurt chose some strawberry froghurt. They also picked up some for the girl's mother, who she said had a friend over.

Noah smiled as they were walking back to the house. Sarah never let go of his hand and also supplied a steady stream of questions. What was his favorite food / tv show / joke / color / day of the week? Did he prefer cats or dogs? Did he have a girlfriend? Did he watch all of the Harry Potter movies? Could he play any instruments? And most importantly - did he like Justin Bieber? When the teen told her about his time in the Justin Bieber Experience she squealed and he had to promise her a youtube link that she could share with her friends.

Puck answered all her questions happily, but there were so many things going through his mind that he would like to ask himself. How did she know he was her brother? What had their mother told her? And what was going to happen once they got to the house? He felt his legs grow heavy as they approached the girl's home and his heart beat so fast it was making him dizzy. His mother was in there. How would she react to him? Would she yell and make him leave? Would he get to spend some time with her and his sister? He needed a little more time.

"Wait." he said. "I want to get something from the car."

He went to grab his guitar from the trunk and both of the younger children clapped excitedly as he promised them a song. He still did not feel prepared to go inside.

"Sarah." he said. "How did you know that I'm your brother?"

"I saw all the letters and pictures you and your new family sent us."

"You did?"

"Yes, mom tried hiding them at first, she didn't want me to be sad because you chose a new family, but I found them one day and from then on she always told me when a new one arrived."

Puck winced at hearing that he had allegedly _chosen_ a new family and not been abandoned by his mother after her husband had almost beat him to death.

"Why did you never write back?" he asked instead and he was not sure if he meant just Sarah or their mother as well.

"Oh, I did! I wrote tons of letters, but I didn't have an address to send them to and mom wouldn't give it to me because she said it would just make you sad."

"Make me sad?"

"Yes, she said you needed to move on."

Puck was speechless. How could his mother lie like that? Or had she actually convinced herself this was the truth? He felt his stomach turn as they approached the house. Kurt looked up at him with a concerned look on his face and he tried to give him a reassuring smile. By the look in the younger boy's eyes he had failed.

"Come on." Sarah said sensing his apprehension. "It's okay. She knows you're coming."

Both boys were confused and carefully followed the girl into the building. She led them to the living room, where two women sat waiting.

"Mommy!" Kurt yelled when he recognized his mother and flew into her arms.

"Oh my baby!" Emma hugged him close and kissed his hair.

"I'm so sorry, mom. I didn't mean to upset you." Puck cried approaching her.

"Oh, come here." the ginger woman pulled him into the hug and kissed his head. "I'm so glad you're okay."

Rebecca stood back, watching the family reunion. The woman knew she had no right to feel hurt by the fact that her son called the other woman mom, but there was still a little stab to her heart.

Sarah, who had disappeared for a few minutes suddenly returned with a wooden box in her arms.

"Look Noah, here are the letters." she said opening the box.

The boy looked at the contents with tears in his eyes, there were letters and drawings, at least twenty of them. He was lost staring at them when he heard a woman clear her voice.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Rebecca said.

Noah looked at the woman, his mother, for the first time in eleven years. She still looked familiar but she did not feel like his mother to him, she was a stranger; his mother was standing behind him, hugging his little brother to her chest.

"Hi." he whispered.

"Hi." the woman replied, wringing her hands.

They just stared at each other as the three other people in the room seemed to be holding their breath.

"You're so handsome." Rebecca finally said. "All grown up."

"Thanks."

"He's going to start college soon. He got a football scholarship." Kurt piped up.

"We couldn't be any more proud." Emma added with a smile.

"Can I get you anything?" Rebecca asked as they all settled down around the coffee table.

There was some small talk but the atmosphere was tense, nobody seemed to know what to say, the two younger children kept fairly quiet. Rebecca seemed to be busy just watching her son.

"That's a really pretty box." Emma finally told Sarah, running her fingers along some carvings. "I love sandalwood."

"Thank you!" the girl replied. "My dad gave it to me."

"You mean your step dad?"

"No, my real dad."

"What the fuck!" Puck yelled jumping off the couch.

Everybody was on their feet in seconds and since everyone was shouting, nobody could really make out what the other was saying. The situation was close to escalating.

"Okay. Everyone shut up!" Emma yelled in an unusually authoritarian tone. "Noah… honey… why don't you let Sarah show you her room?"

The girl looked towards her own mother who simply gave her a nod. She took her brother's hand, which seemed to calm him down a little, and led him to the stairs.

Kurt had never felt more like a third wheel in his life. He was beginning to feel very homesick and just did not know what to do, he did not feel like he belonged with either pair right now.

"Go join your brother, Kurtie." his mother instructed.

The boy walked away from her reluctantly. What if his mother needed his help?

Emma turned to the dark-haired woman raising an accusing finger.

"You're still letting that man see your child?"

"You don't understand! He would never hurt Sarah!"

"You're right. I don't understand." the ginger said shaking her head. "Start explaining."

"He only sees her on birthdays or holidays. He's never alone with her, I never let them leave the house together. He's different with her. She's his princess. It was just Noah… he pro-…"

"Don't you dare say that tiny child provoked being beaten by a grown up man. Don't you dare!" Emma threatened and the other woman bit her lip looking down. "You forget that I was there, Rebecca. I saw that sweet little boy turn up with bruises at my house! I met the tall, heavy man who did that to him! And I made sure he was punished!"

Rebecca was shaking, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.

"What you're doing here is blaming the victim." Emma added. "And you should be ashamed of yourself. I remember how you told me that he had been hitting you as well, and now it's Noah's fault? Do you have any idea how much that child has been through? How many nightmares, how much anger and how many hours of therapy we went through to form that wonderful boy up there?"

The other woman looked down, not responding to her.

"I don't know how to talk to you. You should be ashamed of yourself." Emma sighed, before turning to the stairway. "Noah! Kurt! Let's go."

The two boys appeared on the stairs, followed by a clearly distraught looking Sarah. The girl did not quite understand what was going on, but she knew she did not want her brother to leave yet.

"Please, mom." Puck said. "There's something I would like to do."

He turned to Rebecca.

"Would you allow me to sing a song?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, but then she simply nodded, a jerky movement, showing her discomfort.

Puck grabbed his guitar and watched his two siblings sit and lean against their mothers for support and reassurance. He sat on a stool he grabbed from the open kitchen and began to sing in a soft voice:

_Can I stay at your house?  
>I'll sleep on the floor,<br>My home is war zone,  
>I've no stomach for more.<em>

_You can't hold a candle,  
>To what I saw today,<br>More than I can handle,  
>So I'm running away<em>

_And those homefires burn scorching a hole through me,  
>And I am welcome no more.<em>

_It's the harrowing story,  
>Of one man's mistake,<br>And the names have been left out,  
>For the innocents' sake.<em>

_And that man who would save us,  
>From the hurt the world brings,<br>Neglected to mention,  
>Who would save us from him?<em>

_And those homefires burn scorching a hole through me,  
>It's like the third degree.<em>

_Now I've no one to turn to,  
>I guess I'm at my wits end,<br>I'm beginning to learn who,  
>Are really my friends.<em>

_And those homefires burn scorching a hole through me  
>It's like the third degree,<em>

_And I am welcome no more_

By the time the boy finished both mothers were crying. Emma managed to recover faster.

"I'm taking my sons back to the hotel now." she said. "We will be back tomorrow. It might be too late for you, but I think Sarah would like to get to know her brother. They will get to spend the whole day together and if he wants to Noah gets to take her to a park or wherever they want to go. Okay?"

„Okay." Rebecca croaked.

The next day when Puck arrived he was greeted friendly by the woman, like nothing had happened the day before. He took his little sister to a park and they talked all day. Kurt was there with them, he had not wanted to tag along, afraid that he might be a third wheel, but Noah had told him he wanted him there.

Puck cried when he had to say goodbye to his sister. They exchanged addresses and made sure to add each other as brother or sister on their Facebook profiles, they would not lose touch again. He promised to visit her whenever he could and Rebecca promised not to do anything to prevent it.

Since the family could not afford that many plane tickets and they still had to get the car home, too, Emma joined her sons on their road trip home. Of course this time they did not sleep in the car and Noah and Emma could share the job as driver, so they were all a lot more rested. The mother would have never guessed that she would enjoy this way of traveling so much. She got to see so much of the country and she loved bonding with her boys. Puck would be moving soon and Kurt was at that age where he began to get more and more independent. Her babies were growing up and soon they would not be needing her anymore. She promised herself that she would always be there for them nonetheless.

* * *

><p><em>AN:<em>

_The song Puck sings is called „Keep the home fires burning" by The Bluetones. I always thought Kurt was gonna sing some of their stuff at some point cause it would suit his voice, but the lyrics just fit so well._

_I know there was not a lot of Sarah in here, but I'm not very good at writing OCs and I still want her to feel a little bit like a stranger._

_How did you all like the Michael episode? I have to say I was really disappointed, but that always happens when I get way too excited for something._

_Does anyone remember how they promised us less songs and more plot? Yea… neither do the writers._

_I really hated Ben.. Not cause the song was bad, just the scene was so awkward. I mean… would it have been physically possible for Kurt to sit any further away without actually leaving the room? If they hadn't been holding hands he would've been sitting in the hallway. It just makes me mad cause I'm sure that any other couple - and I'm not saying straight couple, cause I'm including Brittana - ANY other couple would've been on that bed together. Luckily Darren is so good at looking completely smitten.. he kinda managed to get me through the whole thing with just one lovestruck eye._

_Where was the Kliss I was promised?_

_Oh and I'm with Chris - Kurt should've kicked Sebastian's ass._

_I'm always so negative.. Wanna know what I liked?_

_The Kurtana scene! Finally! I wanted to hug it n never let go!_

_I also liked Burt's scene even though I missed most of it the first time I watched it cause I was still confused about Kurt being in Spanish class. Guess he dumped French just in time for Ricky Martin's episode. And why was Burt so excited about telling Blaine - I tried to picture that conversation and it was something like "My son is going to New York and you're staying here, that means my baby boy won't be having any sex for a year! A whole year! He matters, you know."_

_I got mad at Blaine for still talking to Sebastian but I guess he redeemed himself taking the slushy for Kurt. Still, shouldn't talk with a guy you know your bf hates n who keeps offering you sex - especially not behind said boyfriend's back. You could lose an eye!_

_Got so mad at the Warblers.. That slushy passed a lot of hands before it reached Sebastian, the only Warbler we're now officially allowed to love is Trent! Well… maybe Jeff cause he wasn't following Sebastian around in some of the scenes. I know Riker was probably just sick or busy but I'm gonna pretend Jeff doesn't like Sebastian._

_LOL_

_I'm ranting again. That's cuz I have exactly one friend I can talk to about Glee! Hi Steven! lol_


	51. Chapter 51: Epiphany

**Don't read my ANs if you're not up to date**

* * *

><p>"No!" the little boy's scream echoed throughout the whole neighborhood. "No! You can't do this! Let go off me! Let me go!"<p>

Kurt fought as hard as he could but the other boy was older and so much stronger than him and kept a strong hold.

"Please." the younger boy cried. "Please, you can't do this."

He looked at the shocked bystanders, none of them daring to make a move. He struggled again, putting all his strength behind the effort to break free, but it was hopeless. The arms just wound around him even tighter.

"Shhh…" the older boys hot breath reached his ear. "Please ranger, you got to calm down."

Kurt's body went slack in his big brother's arms. He stopped fighting and simply sobbed into the older boy's t-shirt.

"I don't want you to leave." he managed to say in between broken sobs.

"I know, ranger. I know."

Noah gently rocked his little brother, holding him as close as possible. He loved how natural the embrace felt to both of them. When he had met his sister Sarah over summer he had enjoyed spending time with her, but the hugs had been kind of awkward, it just hadn't felt as familiar and natural, they both had not been this trusting and comfortable. This hug right now, this was a hug that only happened in a family, he was sure.

"We're going to visit you a lot and you can come visit us, when there are no exams and mom gives her okay."

The younger boy only shook his head and hid his face in his brother's chest.

"You don't want to visit us?" Finn asked moving closer to his brothers.

"It's not enough."

"Oh ranger, you say that now, but in two years you will be in high school and far too embarrassed to even be seen with us."

"That will never happen"

"You sure?"

"Only if Finn eats spaghetti in public."

Noah snorted at seeing the offended look on Finn's face.

"Aren't you looking forward to having your own room?" the teen tried again.

It had been decided that Santana and Brittany would be moving into the large room their brothers were vacating, Kurt would be moving into the girls room, leaving him and Sam with rooms of their own.

"No." the blue-eyed boy pouted. "I'll get lonely."

"Think of all the extra closet space." Santana tried to help when she saw the desperate look on her older brothers' faces.

"And Mercedes and Lauren can sleep over any time." Brittany piped up.

"I'll allow Valentino to sleep on your bed" Emma whispered, gently touching her son's head and running her fingers through his soft chestnut hair. "Only the foot of it though!"

Kurt looked up at his two older brothers and took a shaking breath, trying to compose himself.

"I'll still miss you though." he said, voice cracking and blue eyes shining with tears.

"We will miss you, too, little bro."

The family helped squeezing the last pieces of luggage into the car and the took their turns hugging the two oldest boys. Emma tried to think of every bit of last minute advice she could possibly come up with, even handing out pamphlets, while Will took the chance and snuck some extra cash into his sons' grateful hands.

When Finn finally started the car and the two college boys drove off the family was left behind on the sidewalk, standing in pairs and trying to find comfort in each other. Will was holding his wife, telling her it was a little too early to phone the boys and remind them to eat healthily. Sam was holding his crying twin sister, while Santana cuddled a shaking Kurt and Valentino had managed to climb into Artie's lap and was licking the tears off the boy's face.

* * *

><p>Kurt sighed when he reached his new bedroom. He tried to convince himself that any normal kid would love to have a room of their own and that he had survived eight whole years of his life as an only child, but somehow he just did not handle this change all that well. He knew Sam would say yes if he asked him if he could sleep in their old room another night, Santana and Brittany would surely welcome him as well and Artie never said no to a night of secret gaming. He also knew it was time to grow up, he was embarrassed at how babyish he had acted out there again. Dr. Davis had tried to explain that separation anxiety was quite normal for someone who had been through losing both parents at such a young age, but he still did not think that was a good enough excuse. He was too old to throw these childish tantrums and just not enough Rachel Berry to pull off the epic diva breakdown.<p>

Rachel had left for New York two days ago. She had gotten into the stage school of her dreams, one that Kurt hoped to attend one day as well. The girl had broken up with Finn about five times in the last two months, always getting back together and making the next break up even more dramatic before finally deciding to try having a long distance relationship. Rachel could totally appreciate the drama of it all, the poor lonely diva, suffering heartbreak whilst working towards her Broadway breakthrough and then later dedicating her Tony to her loved one while tearing up over the memories during her acceptance speech. She had started wearing only black for the last two weeks and her fathers had luckily been able to talk her out of singing "Don't cry for me Argentina" at the airport, so she had done it in the Schuester home. Finn had been quite confused, but she seemed happy with his stunned expression and told him that she was convinced they would make it.

One of the worst goodbyes was still ahead of them. Quinn, who just a few months earlier had been planning to become a realtor and stay in Lima forever, had surprisingly gotten into Yale. Santana tried to put a brave face on, but Kurt knew she would need all the support she could get very soon. He wiped away the last few stray tears and looked around the room, he still had a lot of decorating to do. His thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. Thinking it could only be Mercedes he picked it up without looking at the screen.

"Hey there." he greeted.

"Hey, ranger!"

"Noah!" Kurt almost fell off the bed as he jumped up when he recognized his brother's voice.

"Are you in your room?" the older boy asked.

"Yes."

"Okay, go check out your desk's top drawer."

"What?"

"Just do it. Finn and I got a little surprise for you."

Kurt hesitantly got up and carefully opened the drawer, almost expecting some weird kind of prank or a live animal jumping out at him. In the drawer he found a picture frame. The photo inside seemed to have been taken in some kind of costume shop and he could only guess that the two people in it were his older brothers, as the teens were dressed in Power Ranger costumes. Judging by their sizes Finn was the red ranger and Puck the blue one. Together they were holding up a sign that said "We'll always be there for you, bro." Kurt could not suppress the giggle escaping him.

"Does he like it?" he heard Finn's muffled voice through the phone.

"I love it." he replied, trying not to cry again. "Thank you so much."

"We love you, little brother. We'll call again once we get there okay. Take care."

"Bye."

Kurt hung up and started looking for a nail to hang the frame.

* * *

><p>The last days before the new school year seemed to fly by. Kurt spent most of them decorating and then re-decorating his new room and organizing his wardrobe. Mercedes, Lauren and Becky had also all been allowed to stay for sleepovers. And then there was a great deal of time spent with the girl that had once been his beautiful and witty sister Santana. It had been impossible to even get her out of bed, so Kurt and Brittany had just taken turns cuddling with her and holding her while she cried. She refused to get up, dress or even shower and coaxing food into her had been a tough job. Their parents had become very worried, but the girl refused to speak to them or even Dr. Davies and her siblings were too loyal to talk. One night she had finally gotten up and ended her silence, she begged her parents to let her get a boob job, but even through the worst of her tantrum Will and Emma had held their ground and refused. Everyone had been concerned about what would happen when it was time to return to school, but when the morning arrived Santana walked down the stairs to the breakfast table with her head held high, hair up in a ponytail and in her cheerleading uniform.<p>

"I'm going to become captain of the Cheerios this year." she announced "And whoever might try and stop me better have already dug their own grave."

Nobody dared to contradict her and Kurt could already imagine the crowds in the halls of McKinley parting as she walked by. A new queen bitch had been born.

Kurt's own first day back at school started on the other end of the student hierarchy. He had been separated from Artie who had rushed to greet Tina and before he could find his own friends some idiots had stolen his bag and flung it up in a tree. It had caught on a branch and even though he was quite good at climbing things it had taken him a while to get it, on his way down he had managed to rip his favorite shirt. Cursing he made his way to a bathroom and changed. When the bell rang he was running considerably late.

"Damn it." he muttered as he tried to make it to his class.

Still busy stuffing his belongings back in his bag he did not pay full attention at where he was going and ran into someone.

"Ooph."

Kurt, his bag and all of his books landed on the floor.

"Oh my God! Are you okay?"

Kurt looked up into the concerned face of a very good looking boy.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

Kurt did not answer. Right now he did not even know how to speak or what his own name was, all he knew was that there was this boy, a boy who was looking at him with this kind and handsome face. This boy who was worried about him and seemed to care about his well being. A boy who was definitely not one of his brothers.

He tried to remember how to speak while looking up at the other boy. He was taller than him, that much he could tell, but that was not very hard to do, Kurt was still waiting for a growth spurt. His hair was dark and so were his kind, warm eyes. Those eyes that right now were making Kurt's head swoon.

"Oh dear Gaga; I'm really gay."

"What did you say?" the boy still looked concerned, but there were some wrinkles showing around his eyes now that made it very obvious that he was not only grinning widely, but actually trying not to laugh.

And that was when Kurt realized that he was still sitting flat on his ass, in the middle of the school hall, his books all over the place - and he had just realized that he was definitely attracted to guys.

"I-I-I'm fine." he sputtered, feeling the heat of a blush creeping up to his ears and climbing to his feet in a rather un-elegant manner.

"You sure?" the boy smiled a dazzling smile.

"Uh huh." Kurt would have nightmares about his very undignified answer.

He quickly grabbed all his things.

"Sorry. I'm late." he turned and ran off, even though his class was in the other direction.

At lunch time Kurt had to face the interrogation through his best friends. That is what missing your first lesson of a new school year gets you.

"What happened, boo?" Mercedes asked.

"Did the mean boys get you?" worried Becky.

Kurt just shook his head scanning the cafeteria for the new boy. He finally found him, sitting with some other boys, obviously already having made some friends and joking around.

"What you staring at the new kid for?" Lauren asked.

"I'm not staring." the boy huffed.

"You totally are." Mercedes agreed. "You're still doing it!"

Kurt reluctantly turned his head to face his friend.

"Am not." he said crossing his arms over his chest.

He managed a full twenty seconds before his gaze was drawn to the other boy again, causing the girls to break into a fit of giggles. Kurt tried to pout, but in the end curiosity won.

"Do you know him?" he asked.

"Of course we do. And so would you if you had shown up for Maths."

"He's in our class?" Kurt's heart beat so fast he though it was somersaulting.

"He sure is."

"What's his name?" the boy asked, not even trying to sound nonchalant about it anymore.

The girls grinned, almost making a very impatient Kurt jump across the table.

"His name is Nick."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Sorry for the really long wait.<em>

_Don't wanna bore you with the depressing details of why this took me so long. Let's just all blame Stephen who's been keepin me company in chat for hours n hours, enduring all my fan boy obsessions n swapping gifs with me :)_

_People have been complaining about the lengths of my chapters so instead of one super long chapter you get this one and then another one soon, I promise (yea, I know my promises aren't worse a shit)._

_I've also had complaints from ppl saying I've been spoiling things in my ANs. So let me say this, once an episode has aired I feel free to talk about it here. I know a lot of my readers aren't American n neither am I, but I also know not to go online until I've watched the latest episode. So again: if you haven't watched the latest Glee, don't read on._

_I actually liked the last two episodes and not only cuz even tho I support Klaine I have a big boy crush on Max Adler and was happy to see him again. I believe that while Lea, Darren, Amber and Naya are the best singers on the show - Chris, Max and Naya are the best actors n I love them in dramatic scenes. Whoever didn't wanna give Max all the awards when his voice broke on "my mum thinking I've got a disease" is just jealous._

_Theres just 2 things I didn't like (well, maybe 3 but I refuse to talk bout that stupid teen wedding):_

_1. The God squad. WTF? Did Fox make it mandatory that you gotta show some christian teens? I hope not cuz that club doesn't seem to be very popular, in the first session we've seen Quinn is welcomed back n they introduce a new guy.. so am I to believe it was just Sam n Mercedes before? And what did Cedes do until Sam moved back? The only good that Bible talk scene did for me was reminding me of the hilarious "Why can't I own a Canadian?" letter a guy I kinda know once wrote. You should totally google it if you're into that stuff.. no really.. you won't regret getting your abominations right._

_2. Double standards. I liked how Santana (in the Valentine's ep) got to discuss the double standards between allowing straight couple PDA and gay PDA. But as a gay boy I see another double standard. I see how it is totally acceptable for the lesbian couple to show affection but every time Klaine even kiss theres a big outrage. Like I said after Michael, if Santana had been blinded by the slushie Brit wouldve been on the bed with her, they get to kiss n cuddle n flirt.. n now everyone is all happy bout a five second shot of Klaine holding hands n I just wanna scream "It's not enough!" Why weren't Klaine sitting together in that horrible peanut butter scene? Why is Kurt standing alone when the Regionals winners are announced? And why the fuck is the group in third place always so happy? You just came in last!_

_*steps off soap box*_

_See you soon!_


	52. Chapter 52: Ever After Happily

**AN: Sorry for the long wait!**

* * *

><p>Kurt felt like he had boarded an emotional rollercoaster. His feelings were all over the place and so very confusing it was making him dizzy. At nights he lay awake and groaned trying to get his mind from running wild. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and he just could not figure out what to do.<p>

At first he had been unbelievably happy. It felt like everything had been put into place and suddenly began making sense. He knew who he was and what he wanted in life. He was gay! He liked boys! And he especially liked Nick, the boy who had been so nice to him in the hallway. Kurt spent most of his school day watching the other boy. Admiring him when he gave the correct answer in class, when he made a particularly good move during a sports game and when he broke up fights in the lunch hall. The confusion and uncertainty that had been plaguing Kurt disappeared. He felt completely content and event the constant giggles or teasing remarks from the girls could not ruin his little high.

All too soon the happiness was replaced by anger. Anger at himself for not figuring things out sooner. Everyone else had, had they not? He had been teased for being gay for as long as he could remember, painful memories going as far back as kindergarten. He had been taunted, bullied and hurt over something that now turned out to be true. Kurt loathed the fact that the bullies had been right. As much as he tried to tell himself that even though they had been right about him being gay, it did not make the bullying right, he could not quite make himself believe it. He felt like a second class citizen and at times it was hard to get out of bed and drag himself to school, the place where everyone else seemed to know so much more about him than he did himself. How could he have been so naïve and blind about his own feelings? Had he not always know that he was different and liked boys? Why had he not been able to be honest with himself any sooner?

The fact that he was completely unable to have any normal interaction with Nick since figuring out his crush did not help either. Kurt could only watch and admire from afar. Never daring to approach the boy and speak to him. When Nick returned Kurt's dropped pencil or asked him what page they were on in a book - even when he told the other guys who were teasing him to back off and leave the boy alone - Kurt could do nothing but blush and stutter. Most of the times he wished the earth would just swallow him whole.

Then there was the looming presence of Dave Karofsky who seemed to follow Kurt everywhere he went. Every time Kurt turned to look around the bigger boy was there staring at him and when Kurt raised an eyebrow in question Karofsky would scoff or make a threatening gesture in his direction. When they came across each other in the hall it usually ended with Kurt being tripped or shoved into the lockers. What had he ever done to make the bully become so obsessed with him?

All this left the poor boy deeply depressed. He spent hours in his room crying into his pillow - or Valentino if the dog found him and cuddled close to offer his support. He wrote sad love songs and poems, even a couple of goodbye letters - all of which he ended up ripping to shreds and throwing away, embarrassed of being such a teenage drama queen. Wait… being a drama queen was far too gay. Was there no cool manly way of being dramatic? What if he wanted to be a drama king? Things got so bad that he no longer loved styling his hair or keeping up his skin care regimen, he was even seen wearing the same outfit to school twice in a week. Why should he care about what the world thought of him? Had not everyone already passed their judgment on him? He should just accept his place at the bottom of the social ladder and that he would never be able to find someone to love him back. He felt pathetic.

He knew he should most probably talk to somebody about all this, but who should he turn to? Surely not his parents. Kurt could not imagine anything more embarrassing than asking his parents about advice on his love life - not that he had one, he was only twelve after all - well, almost thirteen now but he was pretty sure that a coming out was not what parents meant when they mentioned the terrible thirteen. He knew his parents would be supportive, his mother might even ask to meet Nick and have him come to the house and then she would end up showing the boy all of Kurt's embarrassing childhood pictures. His dad would probably give him a speech about always acting like a gentleman, like he had done with Finn, Puck, Sam and only recently Artie. Or did you only get that speech when you liked girls? What kind of a speech did fathers give to their gay sons? And that was when Kurt started feeling less secure about his parents' support. What if they were not as accepting? What if they ended up hating him? Beating him? Or even kicking him out of the house? Kurt had heard stories about gay kids who this had happened to. Was it not something you saw on television all the time? Maybe that was how parents were supposed to behave! No, he could not risk telling his parents and lose their love, even though they had been nothing but supportive of him so far.

So who was left? Dr. Davis? She would surely have a lot of experience with this kind of thing - or did she not? What if he really was the only gay teen to ever come out in Lima, Ohio? The therapist would not know how to deal with him - or worse, maybe she would like to show him off to her colleagues, present him at psychology conventions or write a book about gay teens and have his face on the cover!

Kurt shook his head. He could definitely not let that happen. Should he turn to his friends instead? They already kind of knew about his crush on Nick, even though he had not yet openly admitted to it. No, he could not tell them, they already broke into giggles whenever they saw him look at Nick or the other boy walked close by. They would surely start singing embarrassing little songs about the two of them sitting in trees and it was already so hard for Mercedes to keep her mouth shut about anything. She might tell her parents and then Kurt would end up being summoned to their church where he would have to stand in front of everybody and beg for forgiveness. They would call him a sinner and tell him he would be going to hell if he did not change. They would tell him that the God who had made him like this hated him for being who he was. And what if they would not allow Mercedes to be friends with him anymore?

This only left his siblings. Bu who should he talk to? He did not want to talk to Artie because he had just found out that he shared some classes with Nick's older sister and he just could not risk his secret getting out like that. Brittany would be really supportive but probably terribly confusing and Sam would surely end up showing him a movie that was somehow supposed to be related to his problems, but Kurt barely ever got the references. He would love to talk to Puck, but he and Finn were away at college and this was not a conversation he wanted to have over the phone.

This left Santana and the girl had often enough told him that he could always come to her - but that had been the old Santana, the loving and cuddling sister. The new Santana was always busy with cheerleading stuff or going on dates with the kind of boys Kurt loved to hate - or who loved to hate and bully him. He knew deep down that she was still not over Quinn, but he could not talk to her about that because nobody ever dared to mention the blonde's name in his sister's presence anymore. Brittany had confided in him that Quinn had been the one to tell Santana that she did not believe in long distance relationships and for a while he was sure it had broken the Latina's heart. Then the new Santana had emerged, the one who was always harsh and sarcastic and dated a new boy on the football team every week. Kurt was sure he did not want to talk to this Santana but he still made his way to her room, hoping to find the old version was still there somewhere. He heard music as he approached the door, which had not been closed all the way - something Brittany kept reminding people of so Lord Tubbington could find her if he needed to.

When Kurt looked inside he could not see Brit or the cat anywhere. Santana was sitting alone on the bed, Sam's guitar in her arms as she was gently moving her fingers over the strings. She was humming a melody and soon began to play a song and sing in a very sad voice.

_The smell of a candle  
>freshly blown out<br>the light of the clock  
>shines on my skin<br>like a sickly green moonlight  
>on a pale white day's decay<br>I try to wipe you from my memory  
>but your face won't fade away<em>

_another boy kissed me today_  
><em>I laughed in his mouth<em>  
><em>it's not funny that I'm not kissing you<em>  
><em>I'm not laughing because we fell through<em>  
><em>it's the stories they told us when we were younger about life and love<em>  
><em>how our happiness lies in the hands of another<em>  
><em>who'd fly in on the wings of a dove<em>

_well that's the way the fairy tale goes_  
><em>boy meets girl and they wed with roses<em>  
><em>but that's not the way it seems to be<em>  
><em>and I'm pissed that they lied to me<em>  
><em>cuz boy meets boy and boy runs away<em>  
><em>or girl meets girl and she's afraid to stay<em>  
><em>we end up home alone watching court tv<em>  
><em>not living ever after happily<em>

_you're right_  
><em>you are prince charming<em>  
><em>onto the next princess when he's bored with the last<em>  
><em>he's the hero of every story<em>  
><em>he's got his chapter in every girl's book<em>  
><em>he walks away with all the honor and glory<em>  
><em>but I wonder what else he took<em>

_goodbye, prince charming_  
><em>and drown sleeping beauty<em>  
><em>shove Cinderella's slipper where the sun don't shine<em>  
><em>toss the little mermaid back out to sea<em>  
><em>cuz the fairy godmother had to perform another abortion today<em>  
><em>and the seven dwarves live in the forest, of course, cuz they were driven away<em>  
><em>but this part of the story could spark a cultural rage<em>  
><em>so at the sound of the tone we just turn the page<em>

_starting today_  
><em>we'll tell the story my way<em>  
><em>the king of imperfection<em>  
><em>takes back the prince of mistakes<em>

Kurt stood in the doorway watching his sister in awe. The song had been so beautiful and so tragically fitting to both of their lives, he actually forgot to breathe for a moment, completely lost in his thoughts. He was brought back to reality when he heard a loud sob break the silence that had ensued. He took a deep breath and knocked on the doorframe.

„Tana?"

His sister's beautiful dark eyes were shining with tears when they met his. He half expected her to yell at him and tell him to leave her alone, but instead she just held his gaze and opened her arms. He was across the room in the fraction of a second and threw himself into her arms. They clutched each other tightly and just cried for a very long time._  
><em>

Kurt allowed his sister to hold him and run her fingers through his hair - something that would usually get someone close to losing an arm - both teens taking comfort in the other's presence.

„I miss her." Santana softly whispered.

„I know."

They stayed silent for another few minutes before Kurt gathered his courage and took a deep breath before locking eyes with the girl.

„I'm gay." he said, proud of managing to keep his voice steady.

„I know."

They said nothing else and just cuddled until their mother called them for dinner.

* * *

><p>After dinner the family gathered in the living room. It was movie night and Kurt's turn to choose a dvd. Under everyone's watchful eyes he chose „Labyrinth". They had not watched this movie in years and he knew it would make Santana happy. He also loved how the story was about being brave standing up for yourself. He just wished he could find someone to give him the courage to do so.<p>

Kurt made two promises to himself that night. The first one was that he would never be ashamed of who he was and the second one was that he was going to find a way to talk to Nick.

* * *

><p><em>AN:<em>

_I'm really sorry for the long wait. I had originally planned to have a chapter up about 2 days after the last one, but then I felt the need to write this and it just hit way too close to home and was really tough to write for me._

_Please don't be mad!_

_Thanks for all the lovely messages and reviews. You guys truly rock!_

_The song Santana sings is called Ever After Happily and belongs to the lovely Mr. Jay Brannan, you can check him out on Youtube. I promise he's both nice to listen to and look at ;-)_

_Also my deepest apologies to Steven, who's name I keep spelling wrong. And no.. he's not my boyfriend… hehe ... but it's cute some of you thought so. He's just a faithful reader who turned into good friend I get to gleek out with online because none of my stupid real friends love Glee (blasphemy!). Poor guy had to endure so many of my glee rants, he could write a book._

_And a big shout out to Lydia. I'm so proud of you! *hugs*_

_I can't believe how many of you guys I'm calling my friends now. Thank you!_

_Any tips on how to survive the next 2 weeks? _


	53. Chapter 53: Pining

_AN: Your reviews rock!_

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><p>Kurt did not talk to Nick the next day or the day after that, in fact he found he could not talk to the boy at all, getting choked up every time he even looked at him. How on earth was he supposed to deal with this? He would have loved to talk to Santana about his feelings, but only a week after their confessions the Latina had taken a turn for the worse again. As far as he understood from what Brittany told him, Quinn had been visiting home, she had even gone to Ohio State and attended a party with Finn and Puck, but she had not bothered to give Santana as much as a phone call.<p>

Kurt was sure that both girls were suffering from their separation, but could not think of anything to help the situation. Maybe he was just one of those people who would never understand how relationships worked and would be alone for the rest of their lives? He had tried to get some advice from Noah the night before. He had called his cell phone but had only reached the mailbox, so he ended up calling the landline of his brothers' small apartment.

"Dude!" a voice answered, followed by a roaring belch.

"Uhm… hello?"

"Kurt? Is that you, bro?"

"Yes. Hi Finn. How are you?"

"I'm great. I got to tell you college totally rocks! I just ate so many cheese puffs it made me puke! Mom would kill me, but it won me ten bucks!"

"That's great…" the younger boy replied rolling his eyes.

"I know! So how's home? You just calling to say hi or is there another reason?"

"Uhm… actually… I was wondering if I could talk to Noah?"

"Oh, sorry kiddo, he's not here. He's out on a date."

"Oh… okay."

"Anything I can help you with?"

"Nah… it's okay. I'll call again some other time."

"Oh, come on, bro!" Finn exclaimed sounding disappointed. "We don't need Puck. I'm your big bro, too. If you got a problem I wanna help."

"I dunno."

"Please! I'm not as dumb as everybody thinks."

"I don't think you're dumb, Finn."

"Then give me a shot!"

"Okay." Kurt sighed, this was not exactly how he had imagined this conversation to go, but Finn was right, he was his big brother ,too, and even though everyone knew that Rachel called all the shots in their relationship he must know something about love and dating.

"Shoot!" Finn encouraged.

"Well, I was just wondering. What do you do to make someone like you?"

"Aww! Do you like someone, Kurtie? Tell me about her? Is she in your class?"

Kurt did not have the guts to correct his brother so he only replied with an affirmative sound. In the end he had ended up nodding and giving more little "uh huh's", barely listening to anything Finn was saying. All of this advice applied to girls, it would not be of any help to him at all. They had said their goodbyes both promising to call more often.

And that is how Kurt found himself on the school steps, watching Nick horse around with the other boys, none the wiser on how to handle his feelings for the boy.

"Watching dream boy again?" Mercedes said dropping down next to him.

"You really need to make a move soon. This pining thing you got going on is making me sick!" Lauren added as she settled on his other side.

"I'm not pining!" Kurt cried. "I just don't know what to do" he added in a whisper.

"Oh, boo! You got it bad." Mercedes wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"How am I supposed to talk to him about this? I don't even know if he's gay."

"I'm sure he is. All the good ones are." Lauren said. "My mom keeps saying so."

"Maybe you should try and get to know him better." Becky suggested sitting down at his feet.

"But how?"

"Easy!" Mercedes grinned. "It's May right? You know what that means?"

"It's the month of love?" Kurt guessed.

"No, dummy! Your birthday is coming up!"

"Oh, right. But how's that supposed to help?" Kurt didn't think asking for a kiss from someone you barely knew was socially acceptable, even on birthdays.

"Invite him to your party!" the little black diva beamed.

As all three girls got incredibly excited and lost themselves in party planning and the possibility of seeing two boys kiss, Kurt was lost in his own little world. A party was certainly a really good idea, but how was he supposed to pull this off without everyone knowing exactly what he was trying to do? And what exactly did he want to do?

Kurt talked to his family that evening and everyone was happy to get involved in the party planning, Emma occasionally looking at him with tearful eyes sighing a soft "Thirteen. I can't believe it. My baby!"

* * *

><p>The day of the actual party arrived far too soon for Kurt's liking. He had barely been able to sleep all night, the butterflies in his tummy keeping him awake. It felt like only minutes after he had finally managed to fall asleep when his family woke him with the traditional song and cake. He was just glad he had not had one of <em>THOSE<em> dreams that night as Brittany jumped into his lap.

He accepted his loved ones' hugs, a little sad that his too oldest brothers were not there celebrating with them. Later he smiled while opening his presents, most of them being gift certificates, as they had by now learned how picky the boy could be, a lot of them were from the local arts and crafts store, but there was also a beautiful jacket Kurt had spent hours admiring in front of a shopping window.

"Thank you!" he beamed, hugging his mother.

"You're welcome, baby!" the ginger replied, tears filling her eyes again.

"Mom…"

"I know, I know, you're just all growing up so fast." she sobbed. Her youngest becoming a real teenager and her two oldest away from home was clearly getting to her.

"Quick! Group hug!" Will laughed and they all enveloped Kurt and Emma in a bone crushing hug.

"Here there's one more." Brittany said, shoving a package addressed to Mr. Kurt Schuester into the young boy's arms.

Kurt looked confused.

"It's from Rachel." Sam explained. "It came the day before yesterday but we thought it would be cooler if you got to open it today."

"Thanks." Kurt smiled and opened the package, revealing a NYADA t-shirt. He was so happy he was lost for words and just hugged the fabric close, trying to detect any distinctive New York smell.

"You better call her later and tell her how much you like it." Emma smiled.

"I will!" he smiled.

"Okay. We will let you get ready now and then we will all help you with last minute party preparations." Artie said.

"Thank you."

Kurt could not believe how lucky he was, he surely had the best family ever. He smiled as Sam and Artie fought over what games should be played and Santana and Brittany danced along to their favorite songs while preparing a playlist for the party.

"Do you want us to sing later, Kurtie?" Brit asked.

"Yes, Rachel told us we could have her karaoke machine. Her dads will be bringing it over if you want." Sam added.

"I'd love that." the youngest Schuester smiled.

"We will rock this party!" Artie yelled.

Soon Becky, Mercedes, Lauren, Tina and Mike arrived to help them.

"So you gonna talk to him today?" Mercedes whispered.

"I dunno yet." Kurt replied biting his lip.

Soon the guests started arriving, the birthday boy had invited almost everyone in their school year, as he did not want to make it to obvious that he had invited Nick because he liked the other boy.

As Nick gave him his present and a one-armed hug Kurt blushed so hard he thought his head was going to explode and he knew his three best friends would be teasing him about it forever.

Soon everyone was laughing, playing or dancing and the party looked to be a success. Kurt was so busy watching Nick or opening presents that he never noticed the blue car pulling into their driveway.

"Aaaaah!" he screamed as he was flung over someone's very high shoulder.

"Happy Birthday, little bro!" Finn yelled, spinning around.

Kurt swayed for a second after the excited college boy put him back on the ground.

"Happy Birthday, ranger!" Puck smiled, hugging his little brother close.

"Noah! Finn!" Kurt beamed. "I can't believe everyone managed to keep this a secret from me!"

"Oh, we didn't tell anyone we were coming." the mohawked boy grinned.

"Really?"

"Yeah, didn't look like we'd be able to make it for a while, but we didn't wanna miss this for the world." he said, hugging his little brother again.

"Yeah, dude. Thirteen! That's big!" Finn grinned.

"And I heard you like somebody." Noah smirked scanning the crowd of guests. "Care to introduce us?"

"No! And… Shhh!" Kurt hissed, looking around to make sure no one had heard them.

"Oh! She doesn't know yet?" Puck asked, then turned to Finn "You didn't teach him how to talk to her?"

"Dude! You never tell a girl you like her! It makes you look like an idiot." the taller boy replied.

Kurt just hid his blushing face behind his hands.

"You okay, ranger?" Puck asked looking concerned.

The younger boy could only shake his head.

"Come with me." his brother said, taking his hand and pulling him to the front of the house.

Puck sat down on the curb, patting the spot next to him and waited until Kurt had settled down.

"Okay: Spill."

"There's nothing to talk about." Kurt said, staring at the tips of his shoes.

"Seriously, ranger. Are you forgetting who you're talking to here?" Puck said raising an eyebrow.

"No." big blue eye raised to face hazel ones.

"Then tell me what's going on."

"I don't like a girl at my party."

"Ah." Noah nodded. "I knew Finn got that wrong."

"No… I mean… I like someone… it's just… it's just…"

"It's not a girl." Puck said.

Kurt held his breath. Had the pavement just begun spinning? Maybe it was all the cake he'd had. Maybe he was diabetic. Oh no, at this rate he was going to make himself sick. He took a deep breath.

"How did you know?" he asked.

Puck shrugged.

"I guess I've always kind of known."

Kurt sighed, what was this about jocks being able to have such magnificent gaydar?

"Are you mad?" he asked, fear evident in his shaking voice.

"Why would I be mad, ranger? You can't help who you fall in love with. Believe me - I know."

Kurt frowned, but before he could ask the older boy got up.

"Come on. Let's go back to the party before your guests start wondering what happened to the birthday boy."

Puck helped his little brother back on his feet and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leading him back around the house. As they neared the crowd of guests he leaned down and whispered "Now, which one's the lucky one?"

Kurt smiled and blushed, but before he could reply something unexpected happened.

SLAP

"Ouch! What the fuck!" Puck screamed.

Santana had appeared out of nowhere smacking her older brother hard across the face.

"You fucking whore!" the girl screeched. "How dare you turn up here?"

"Santana!" their parents cried out as the girl kept hitting her brother wherever she could reach, Puck never fighting back, just raising his arms to shield his face.

Kurt stood frozen, not being able to move and it was Sam who finally managed to hold on to his sister and restrain her.

"What's going on here?" their father asked.

"Why don't you ask lover boy over there?" the girl spat, still struggling against Sam's hold.

"Santana, please calm down. You're ruining your little brother's party." Emma begged.

"I'm sorry." the girl said to Kurt, then she freed herself and ran off sobbing.

"Tana!" Brittany cried and ran after her, Sam quickly following as well.

"Care to explain what's going on?" Will asked looking at Noah.

Everyone looked at the mohawked teen expectantly.

"Quinn's pregnant." the boy answered, hanging his head.

* * *

><p><em>AN: don't hate Puck! don't hate Quinn! don't hate Santana!<em>

_PLEASE DON'T HATE ME!_

_The drama Gods made me do it!_

_Seriously.. this chapter totally wrote itself. _

_Big shout out to all my lovely reviewers! You guys are the best. oh and Kyle wins the award for longest review ever! Thanks so much! I can't believe there's still new people coming to this story. It is sooo long!_

_Oh and what are we going to do with Lea Michele? One day that woman is gonna cause a tumblr riot that will break the internet! lol_

_We almost made it through the hiatus! I'm beginning to feel optimistic about my survival.. unless you kill me for this chapter..lol_


	54. Chapter 54: It's My Party

_Thanks so much for all the amazing reviews. You rock!_

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><p>Dr. Rhiannon Davies finished the notes on her last session and took a deep breath, sometimes the things she was told could get a little much, even for a seasoned professional. It was hard to believe how much pain some of her patients had to go through before they even started high school. She got up and walked to the small kitchenette behind her desk. She turned the kettle on and made herself a nice cup of tea, taking a moment to inhale the sweet aroma. Back at her desk she carefully set the cup down and smiled when she looked at the next appointment on her calendar. "Kurt Schuester" was the name, next to a tiny doodle of a cake with candles on it. The therapist reached over and pushed a button on her phone.<p>

"Donna, you can send Kurt in now, please." she said.

She was looking forward to this meeting. The boy was very special to her and even though she would never allow herself to admit that she had favorites among her patients, this child was definitely one of those she considered one of her success stories and it made her happy. She knew he would still have a lot of hurdles ahead of him, but he was a good, smart kid with a great support system and she did not see the need to worry about him. When she heard the door open she looked up expecting the bouncy, grinning kid that had last left her office a month ago, but instead was met with the image of a sulking teen dragging his feet across her floor. Oh boy.

"Laddie!" she smiled, ignoring his appearance and got up to pull him into a hug. "Happy belated birthday!"

"Thank you." Kurt mumbled after being allowed to breathe again and dropped onto the big green chair.

"So how was the big thirteen? Did you have a great day?" she smiled fondly.

"Not really." he said, concentrating on tracing a pattern on the worn out fabric of the chair's arms. Did other kids like rubbing these as much as he did?

"Want to tell me about it?" the doctor put on her glasses and reached for her pen, signaling that she had gone into professional mode.

"There's this old song in one of Rachel's karaoke books, don't know if you heard of it, it's called "It's My Party…."

"…and I'll cry if I want to?" the woman added.

"That's the one." Kurt grimaced.

"And that's the best song to describe your birthday party?"

The teen shrugged.

"Come on, lad. Now that you've started you'll feel better if you tell me the whole thing.

Kurt took a deep breath and told her about what had happened. He did not mention Nick by name but he told her that he had wanted to use the party to find a connection with someone and how nervous he had been. He told her about his big brothers' surprise visit and then about Puck's big revelation of Quinn being pregnant and about Santana's meltdown.

"Oh my! What happened after that?"

"Mum and Dad took Noah and Finn inside to talk. They told us to get on with the party but everyone was kind of stunned. Coach Sylvester set up the karaoke machine and started singing Madonna songs and she soon got Becky and the other kids to join her, but I was just too shocked."

"So you did not get to make your connection?"

He shook his head.

"What about Santana? What happened there?"

"Brit and Sam called after a while, they'd taken her to Mike's place in the end. She refused to come home until Noah had left."

"So he left that same night?"

"Uh huh." Kurt was biting his lip so hard the doctor feared he might draw blood, this was obviously stressing him.

"Did he tell your parents what had happened?"

"Apparently it was a one time thing. Quinn visited them at OSU and they all went to a party and got very drunk. He says he knows it was a mistake, but we all know how much he loves Quinn, he's always had a thing for her."

"So you don't blame him?"

"I don't know. Of course it was wrong, but I know why he did it, he loved her for so long but always thought she was out of reach. I guess I blame her more than him, she knew about his feelings and also about how much it would hurt Santana."

"It takes two to tango, laddie."

"I know that. I'm just saying when you really like someone but know you can never have them, maybe it makes you go a little crazy."

"Are we still talking about your siblings or is there something else you would like to tell me?"

Kurt sighed and shook his head.

"Okay. Just know I am here for you if you need me, okay?"

Kurt nodded and they talked about how much it scared him to watch his family fall apart until the session ended. Apparently Puck had called him to let him know that he would not be coming home over summer as had been planned. Instead the older boy had managed to get hired as a roadie for a friend's band and was going to be touring with them until he had to return to college. With the exception of Santana none of the Schuesters were too happy with that decision, but there did not seem to be another option. Noah promised to send his little brother lots of cards, texts and emails and also to give Sarah a big hug from him when he went to see her during his one week stay in California.

Rhiannon Davies sighed as she watched the young boy leave her office, she looked down at her calendar and drew a big, sad smiley over the little cake next to his name.

* * *

><p>A couple weeks later Kurt came home from a shopping trip to the mall with Mercedes and turned on his computer checking Facebook for any messages from Sarah, the two had been updating each other whenever they heard from their brother. There were no new messages but he had a new friend's request. His heart beat faster as he saw it was from no one other than Nick.<p>

Oh my God! What was this supposed to mean? He had to talk to someone right away and since Santana and Noah were no options he quickly grabbed his phone and called his best friend. Mercedes was on his doorstep in less than twenty minutes.

"Show me!" she said while trying to catch her breath.

He showed her the little note on his computer screen.

"He didn't send a message with it?"

"No." Kurt frowned. "Is that bad?"

"No… of course not… I mean he probably didn't see the need cause you already know each other. He came to your party I'm surprised to know you weren't Facebook friends yet."

"So what do I do?"

"Accept him!"

Kurt clicked the little button and a new box popped up.

"Do you want to send a message…." he read, then looked helplessly at his friend who could only shrug her shoulders.

Another thirty minutes later Lauren was facing the screen with them.

"I think you should say something, that way he's forced to respond."

"But what?"

"Something cool." the big girl shrugged.

"Do I look cool to you?" Kurt exclaimed throwing up his arms.

The girls giggled.

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying my misery."

"Oh come on, Kurtie. It is kind of funny!"

At that moment Sam stuck his blonde head through the door.

"Hey guys! Me and Mike are gonna go get some ice cream, do you want some?"

Mercedes squeaked and hid behind Lauren, who was trying her hardest not to fall over laughing.

"No, thanks bro." Kurt smiled.

When the older teen had left he turned to look at his friend.

"You're right, Cedes. It is pretty funny."

The girl just hid her face behind her hands being too embarrassed to reply. He got up and gave her a long hug.

"Okay it's sent." Lauren interrupted them.

"WHAT?" Kurt ran back to his desk. "What did you do? What did you say? I swear if you embarrassed me I'm going to tell your mom that you ate all the Cadbury Eggs and they didn't melt in the sun like you claimed."

"Chill dude. I played it cool."

Kurt went back to his messages and saw that Lauren had sent a simple "What's up?" to the boy of his dreams. Great - that sounded nothing like himself.

"Let's check out his profile." Mercedes suggested and they spent the next ten minutes looking at the other boy's pictures and interests.

"Whoa. He's so popular. He's friends with half the school. Look he just added Jeff, David and Trent today as well.

"Oh." Kurt muttered, clearly disappointed at not being the boy's only choice.

"Don't worry. He didn't add me or Cedes, you're still special."

The boy tried to smile but it was not very convincing.

He did not get a reply from Nick for a whole day and then when he did it only said something about how he had spent the day at the Lima Public Pool. Kurt hated public pools, they seemed terribly unhygienic to him and there was always the possibility of a bully throwing you in the water. It had also been a very sunny day and he would never allow damage to his skin by exposing it to something that would only cause it to freckle and burn.

* * *

><p>So Kurt Schuester's summer sucked. There is no nicer way of putting it. He spent almost all of his time worrying about his family and trying to accept the fact that being in love only meant you would get hurt in the end and was really nothing one should strive for.<p>

The weeks dragged on, the only distraction being offered by Finn and Rachel's visits and the never ending stories about the girl's New York adventures. Santana, Brittany and Sue left and spent weeks at cheerleading camp, while Becky stayed with the Schuester's and kept him company, Sam and Mike left for football camp and finally everyone returned.

When summer ended the only thing that was different was the number of postcards he had stuck to his wall. He could only hope that Noah was doing as well as the cards claimed, Sarah had not been able to get him to talk about Quinn or the baby.

Nothing changed at home and back at school things just got worse. The bullies seemed to have developed a sixth sense for catching him on his own, he was tripped, shoved, called names, tossed into dumpsters and on more than one occasion had his lunch money stolen. He was so embarrassed he could not even tell his friends. He hated being seen as a victim, this was not who he was. He began avoiding Nick at all costs, simply because he was too ashamed. Since his family was so worried about an absent Puck and a spiraling out of control Santana - and with none of his siblings going to the same school - none of them noticed. During the family's now mostly silent dinners nobody paid attention to just how little their youngest member was eating.

* * *

><p>It was November when things finally changed and as he came home to loud screaming and doors being slammed Kurt was pretty sure it was not for the better.<p>

"What's going on?" he asked Sam as he ran into him on the staircase.

"Grandma Victoria called." the blonde replied. "She wanted to make sure that we will be coming to her Thanksgiving dinner - all of us."

There was a particularly loud yell and the sound of something hitting the wall.

"I take it Santana's not happy?"

"You could say that. Mom and Brit have been trying to calm her down for an hour now and Dad is still on the phone with Finn who can't get Puck to agree to come."

"If he doesn't want to come we shouldn't force him."

"Well, you know Grandma, she's threatening to cut all our college funds if any of us don't show up and we need her money, Mom's trust fund is pretty much gone and you can't raise seven kids on a teacher's salary."

Kurt winced, he had never put much thought into how his parents could support such a large family.

"Don't worry. It's gonna be okay." Sam said patting his shoulder but not sounding too convincing. "I'm going over to Mike's do you want to come? Artie is out with Tina and some of the other Glee club kids."

"No, thanks. I got a lot of homework to do." he lied.

"Well, good luck with that." his brother replied after another loud scream echoed through the house.

Kurt went to his room and laid down on his bed, Valentino came in and cuddled up to him, he was clearly upset by what was going on in his home.

"Hey buddy." Kurt whispered as he reached for his earphones, planning on drowning out the rest of the world for as long as he could.

On Thanksgiving day the family found itself at Victoria Pillsbury's antique dinner table. They were complete, Finn and Puck having driven over separately and only arriving shortly before dinner time, which had earned them a frown from their grandmother before their mother received a lecture on the importance of teaching young people about punctuality.

Dinner started out with awkward silence, much like they had become accustomed to at home. Kurt kept sneaking glances at his second oldest brother, who replied by sending him smiles and the occasional wink. From time to time Victoria would ask Kurt how he was doing in school and he would reply with a polite white lie. It was when the older woman addressed his brothers that things got interesting.

"So, Finn and Noah, why don't you tell us about college life? Have you already started studying for your exams?"

The boys did not answer immediately and a loud snort could be heard from the other end of the table.

"Santana." their father warned.

"I'm sorry." the latina said with a sly smile on her face. "Don't let me interrupt, I'm very interested to hear how much Noah has been studying lately."

Everyone gave her confused looks before turning their attention to the mohawked teen.

"I'm doing, okay." the boy mumbled.

"Really?" his sister continued. "All that studying isn't getting too much?"

"No, it's fine." he replied not looking at her.

Everyone was confused at what exactly was going on and Finn began shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"So what will be your next exam then?" the girl continued.

The boy finally looked up and met her gaze, everyone else held their breaths.

"I'm sure nobody wants me to bore them with those details." he said, his tone slightly threatening.

"Oh really?" the girl smiled. "Because I heard you dropped out months ago, so I bet it's very entertaining to hear about."

Everyone gasped and Finn quickly excused himself claiming to be feeling sick.

"You did what?" Will asked looking at his son.

"Oh Noah." Emma sighed.

"I'm sorry. I was gonna tell you - just not tonight."

"Months ago?" Emma whispered.

"I figured I needed to find a way to earn some money - for Quinn and the baby - even if I don't know what her plans are yet, because she refuses to return my calls."

"Oh right." his sister said turning to her grandmother. "Did we tell you that Noah decided to become a man whore and impregnate a girl who actually had a shot at graduating from Yale?"

"SHUT UP!" Puck yelled, finally losing it. "You don't know what really happened, so just keep your mouth shut!"

"Oh I know more than you think!" the girl screamed back, both of them standing up now. "Because unlike you - she actually calls me."

"She - she what?"

"You heard me. She calls me. She's back in Lima staying with her parents, she begged them for forgiveness. Promised to never fall for another whore like you again."

"Shut the fuck up!" he yelled, knocking over his glass.

"Noah!" his mother gasped.

"No! She has to shut up. She doesn't get to call me that!" he turned back to his sister. "You think I don't hear stories about you? About how you slept your way through the entire football team? I made one mistake and you dare to call _me_ a whore?"

Nobody quite knew how it happened but suddenly the whole family was up and yelling at each other. Kurt just sat there watching them, not knowing what to do. He still could not help but think this was somehow all his fault, that his party had started it. How could he make them stop now? His mother and Brittany were crying, Finn had returned from wherever he was hiding and was holding back Puck, while Sam held on to Santana. Their father was standing in the middle trying to yell louder than all of them together, but going unnoticed. Victoria, much like Kurt, sat and watched, their eyes locking briefly.

Kurt needed this to end, he could not endure a single second longer. He looked at Artie who just shrugged at him, he did not know what to do either. The younger boy finally took a deep breath and climbed right onto the middle of the beautifully set table.

"Quiet!" he screamed and everyone turned to him in shock.

Now that he had their attention he was not sure what to do. He fumbled with his tie, looking from his parents to Santana and then Noah.

"I just wanted to say I love you all and until recently I was so happy to be a part of this family and it hurts me to see you all fight." he caught Artie and Brittany nodding along and began to move off the table, but stepped back up changing his mind at the last second. "Oh and by the way I'm gay." he added before returning to his seat.

Finally there was silence.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Again - so sorry for the long wait. There are those chapters that just pour out of me and that I write down in less than an our .. and then there's chapters like this, which I really struggle with. I had planned to have this up on Thursday but then I got distracted by having How Will I Know on constant replay. How beautiful is that arrangement? On Friday I was busy with school and then the agonisingly long wait for the songs. I'm convinced the one song per hour thing was just to torture me, I'm sorry if any of you got dragged into it..hehe. Oh and yesterday I was just too excited bout Struck by Lightning and Tribeca. I almost thought I wouldn't ever get to finish this when the Warbler's started tweeting kitten pics n vids .. lol .. it's a conspiracy, but I manned up n here it is. Don't hate me, I promise things will get better soon!<em>


	55. Chapter 55: Out

"_Oh and by the way I'm gay."_

* * *

><p>The silence was almost deafening, nobody dared to move and Kurt himself held his breath waiting for some kind of reaction. Had he really just come out to his family? On top of his grandmother's antique dinner table? Standing on her silk table cloth? He slowly raised his gaze to meet Victoria's. The woman looked at him before carefully folding the napkin in her lap and setting it on the table. She slowly stood up and if everyone had not already been holding their breaths this would have been the moment to start.<p>

"Santana, Noah and Kurt." she said slowly and in a calm voice. "Would you please join me in my study for a moment?"

The siblings knew that this was an order and not a request, without as much as looking at their parents and siblings they moved to follow their grandmother. Back in the dining room the family slowly began to breathe again, sharing both confused and concerned looks..

Kurt walked in between his brother and sister, whishing he could reach out and hold their hands, but he did not dare to try. When they finally reached the study Victoria had already taken her seat in a large leather chair. The siblings stood in a line in front of her as Harold the butler shut the door behind them. What was going to happen now? Was the woman going to yell? Kick them out of her mansion? Maybe even disown them and their parents?

"Kurt." the woman said, addressing the youngest first. "I have nothing against homosexuals, I've met a lot of lovely men who had the pleasure of working with my hair, but there is a time and place to announce something like that and my thanksgiving dinner table is not one of them. Would you agree?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. Now go back and join your family. They should have had enough recovery time to be able to fake being surprised by the news."

Kurt caught Santana rolling her eyes at the comment and quickly pulled her into a hug.

"I love you." he whispered.

"I love you, too." she replied.

He turned to his brother.

"I love you."

"I love you, too, ranger." Puck said hugging him close.

Kurt gave them one last look and left. As he closed the door behind himself he found the hall deserted, nobody from the family or staff was in sight. Deciding that he was not quite ready to face his parents yet he pressed his ear to the thick oak door and tried to make out what was being said behind it.

"Now to you." Victoria said, keeping a stern eye on Puck and Santana. "I have to say I was surprised by what happened here tonight. I always knew the two of you had the potential to be troublemakers, your tragic background is something that simply cannot be denied. I have always been harder on you than on the other children, knowing the world out there would very likely often be more than cruel. What I never expected was for the two of you to turn on each other."

The two teenagers just stared at her, not knowing how to react, this was not what they had expected at all.

"What I gathered from your embarrassing behavior and shameful accusations is that this is not a dispute born out of hatred - I understand it is about love."

The siblings remained silent and kept their eyes on the floor. Victoria sighed.

"I do not want you back at my dinner table until you have resolved this matter and can behave like civilized human beings. I am still hoping your mother taught you some manners." she gave both teens a stern look and then got up from her chair and left the room.

Santana and Puck looked at each other in confusion before remembering how angry they were at each other and looking away.

In the hallway Victoria bumped into a very embarrassed Kurt, who had not expected her to leave his siblings alone. The woman only raised an eyebrow, but it was enough to make the boy blush.

"Eavesdropping?" she asked.

"I'm sorry."

"I would've thought these doors were too thick." the grandmother wondered.

She gave Kurt another curious look before carefully resting her ear against the door. The boy could not believe what he was seeing, but quickly recovered and joined her. They heard nothing but silence.

"They're not talking." Kurt whined.

"Well, they will have to." the woman replied, holding up a key before carefully inserting it and locking the door. "Let's go and see if your freakishly tall brother left us some dessert."

As they walked back to the dining room Kurt could feel his heart race and his palms getting sweaty, he was hardly able to breathe, feeling an uncomfortable pressure to his chest. He had come out to his family and now he would have to face them. Or maybe they had forgotten all about it, being too concerned about Santana and Puck - not to forget Quinn and the baby. So… should he just go in there and pretend it never happened?

"Did you forget how to walk?"

He looked up at his grandmother, he had not even realized he had stopped walking. He slowly shook his head.

"Come on." the woman said, steering him towards the end of the hall.

The boy took a deep breath before entering the room, it just seemed appropriate for the dive he was about to take. Sink or swim - what was it going to be?

"Kurtie!" he was engulfed in his mother's loving embrace before he had really entered the room.

"Hi." he croaked, not knowing what to say.

"I love you so much my baby." the woman smiled and kissed his cheek. "I want you to know that nothing will ever change that."

He allowed her to hug him again and felt his father's hand squeeze his shoulder, he looked up to the man who seemed to be at a loss for words but gave him a reassuring smile. The pressure on his chest lifted, maybe he was not going to drown after all.

"Does this mean that you're a dolphin?" Brittany wondered out loud.

"What?"

"Dolphins are gay sharks, right?" the girl continued.

Kurt looked around for help but everyone seemed to be as confused as he was. He caught his blonde brother's smile.

"Sure, Brit, our Kurt's a dolphin." the older boy supplied before offering his hand for a high five.

Kurt left him hanging for a few seconds, still being too confused to understand what was going on, but as Artie gently nudged him forward he raised his hand to Sam's.

"Thanks." he whispered.

"Nothing to thank us for we're brothers. Nothing is ever going to change that." Artie said.

Relief was about to wash over him, but another voice interrupted it.

"I don't get it." it came from the back of the room.

"Finn…" his father warned.

"No, I mean… how can Kurt be gay? Did we do something wrong?"

"We obviously did something wrong with you." Sam argued.

"I don't wanna be mean… I just… you'd have to make out with boys and…are you sure?" the confused boy turned to his brother.

"I'm sure, Finn."

"Aren't you too young to make that kind of decision?"

"Finn, Kurt did not choose this." Emma tried.

"But has he even kissed a girl yet? How can he know he doesn't like it? Shouldn't he at least try it?"

"Well, have you tried making out with a guy?" Sam asked.

"Eww.. No! That's just gross dude!"

Kurt flinched at his brother's reaction, his sister wrapped her arm protectively around him.

"Then how do you know you're straight?" Artie asked.

"What? I just know! I know what I like!"

"Well so does Kurt." Sam spat.

The youngest boy could not keep the tears from spilling, his family was fighting again and this time it was all his fault.

"Stop it! All of you!" Brittany cried. "You're hurting my dolphin!"

Everyone looked at Kurt.

"Oh, baby." Emma said.

"What about grandchildren." Finn turned to his mother. "Don't you want grandchildren?"

"I think Puck already took care of that a lot sooner then I wanted either of you to." Emma said. "And Kurt can still become a dad if he ever wants to. He can adopt, that's how we got you, remember?"

"I don't want Kurt to go to hell." the tall teen tried next.

"Finn, we did not raise you to think like that. Where's all this coming from?"

"I'm sorry." the boy said turning towards his little brother. "I just don't wanna see you get hurt. I know what guys can be like, most of my friends don't like gay dudes."

"Maybe you should think about who you're friends with." Will argued.

Finn appeared to be deep in thought before he finally nodded.

"I love you little bro." he said to Kurt. "This is just gonna take some time getting used to, okay?"

The younger boy did not trust his voice yet, so he simply nodded.

"This doesn't mean I have to watch you make out with guys, right?"

"Finn!"

"Equal rights for all of us, bro!" Artie said. "Do you have any idea how often we had to watch you tongue wrestle with Rachel?"

Finn blushed, but nobody could tell if it was because he had been caught out or still worried about his little brother making out with another boy.

"Where are Santana and Puck?" their father finally wondered.

"They needed a little time to work things out." Victoria replied. "Let's enjoy dessert without them."

They all sat down in awkward silence, still worrying about Kurt, Finn and the two teens in another room. From time to time they were interrupted by a scream or the sound of something or someone hitting the door at the end of the hall.

"I guess this means they've started talking." the grandmother smiled while sipping her coffee, ignoring her own daughter's panicked looks.

* * *

><p>Puck and Santana had been silent for the longest time, just standing in the study and glaring at each other.<p>

"This is ridiculous!" the girl finally declared before turning around and walking to the door. She pressed down the golden handle, but nothing happened and before her brother could react she was rattling and kicking the offending door hard.

"What the hell are you doing?" Noah asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing, dumbass?" the girl sneered. "The fucking door won't open and I really don't wanna stay in one room with you for another second!" she kicked the door again.

"Let me try." Puck sighed.

He waited until his sister moved out of the way and then started rattling and kicking the door himself for several minutes.

"Never would have thought of that." Santana huffed, perched on the edge of the desk.

"Maybe I could pick the lock." Puck wondered.

"Do you have anything in your hair?"

"What... like razorblades?" the girl rolled her eyes.

"No. I mean like a pin or a clip or something."

"Nope." she replied with a popping sound.

When Puck turned to give her an annoyed look she was filing her nails.

"Where'd you get that thing?" he asked.

"I always carry one around."

"Well, give it to me."

The girl hesitated.

"Do you want to get out of here or not?"

She handed him the file, making sure their hands did not touch. Puck started work on the lock immediately. After a very unsuccessful minute of trying a loud click and a snap were heard.

"Is it open?" the girl asked hopefully.

"No, sorry." her brother mumbled holding up the file which was now broken into two pieces.

"You fucking idiot!" Santana shouted, followed by a lot of Spanish, which Puck was kind of glad he did not understand.

The boy finally decided to just give up and sat in his grandmother's chair, listening to his sister scream and flail and stomp. After about ten minutes the girl had completely powered herself out and dropped into a nearby chair.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"No."

"I deserve it you know. All that anger and the insults."

"I know you do!"

"I know I hurt you. I betrayed you. I'm still not sure what's been going on between the two of you and you both refuse to talk about it. But I knew you loved her when it happened and the only excuses that I got are that I was drunk and that I loved her too."

"Loved? Past tense?"

"She broke my heart, Tana. All those insults and blows you keep aiming at me? They're nothing compared to the pain I feel because she rejected me, even though she's carrying my child. She told me I will never be anything but a Lima loser and she's right."

"No, she's not." his sister whispered.

"Look at me." he gave her a bitter smile. "I'm nineteen. I dropped out of college, got no money and I got a girl pregnant. I'm my biological father."

"Noah." Santana gasped. "Don't say that. You would never be like that."

"Maybe that's what he thought, too!" he hid his face in his hands and began to cry.

The latina walked over to her brother and wrapped him in her arms.

"You're better than him." she whispered. "You deserve the chance to prove you're better."

She nudged his chin so he raised his face to meet her eyes.

"I'm going to forgive you, so you can prove it to yourself."

"Thank you." he choked out.

They hugged each other close and cried for a long time. When they were all cried out Santana told her brother everything she knew about Quinn and the baby. They were both healthy, even though the pregnant girl hated living back with her parents. She had not decided what she was going to do after the birth yet. She had been looking into adoption but something was making her hesitate.

"You guys should have a talk soon." Santana said.

"Maybe all three of us should."

They hugged again.

"How do you think Kurt is doing?" the girl wondered.

"I think he's gonna be okay with mom and dad and the twins and Artie will be fine with it. I'm a bit worried about Finn's reaction."

"You think he's homophobic?"

"No… he's… impressionable… and he spends most of his time with idiot jocks in locker rooms. Calling someone gay is like the biggest insult those guys can think of."

"Guess that means both Kurt and Finn are gonna need us then."

"Yeah…"

They both gave a sigh of relief when the door opened at that very moment and Harold stuck his head in the door.

"Your grandmother would like to know if the two of you are civilized enough to appreciate some company." the butler said.

Both teens rolled their eyes and walked towards the door.

"Maybe you should consider freshening up first." the man said looking at their puffy eyes and tear stained faces.

Thee two teens did not even hear his last few words as they were rushing back to their family, where they were welcomed with open arms and a lot of relief, especially from their parents.

* * *

><p>Everyone was so exhausted they slept like stones that night, but in the morning light, at the breakfast table, some questions still wanted to be answered.<p>

"Noah." the father started. "We should discuss this whole dropping out of college thing. I mean… what are your plans for the future?"

The boy took a deep breath and looked around the table.

"I've thought about it and there's one thing I like and that I think I might actually be good at, but I wanted to ask Kurt's permission first."

"Mine?" the younger boy squeaked.

"Yeah. You see… I've been working on the car a lot and it really all came quite natural to me. I've helped friends with cars and I've sent some applications to different auto shops. There's a mechanic's class at Lima City College…" he locked eyes with his little brother. "I just wondered if you would be comfortable with your big bro being a mechanic, ranger… with your back story and all."

Everybody turned to look at the youngest family member.

"My dad was a mechanic." he whispered, before looking back up at his brother. "I think it is a very honorable profession."

"Thanks, ranger." Noah smiled and hugged his little brother close.

Everybody let out a sigh of relief.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss?" Emma asked.

"Yes." Santana piped up. "I would really like to invite Quinn to celebrate Christmas with us."

And there they were holding their breaths again.

* * *

><p><em>AN:<em>

_Thanks to everyone for reading, subscribing and reviewing. You're makin one pathetic kid feel really special!_

_I'm also not sure if this chapter made sense at all.. it was another one that was kinda tough for me n then I hit my head so most of this was written with a mild concussion.. also since last night I keep seeing gold pants whenever I close my eyes...lol. Boy did he rock that performance or what?_

_I liked both of the last two eps... still a bit upset that lesbians get to change the pronouns in their songs n gays don't.. but I guess it's progress. I also liked that Kurt n Blaine were both in the wrong in their fight and that they made up so quickly.. I'm sure that could've been dragged out for a few eps. I also gotta give Darren credit for his acting skills, cuz Blaine feels younger with every episode.. which is kinda unnerving cuz he feels like a completely different character from season 2. I wish they would've just stuck to the spin off idea, poor guy is gonna have a hard time carrying the McKinley plots on his own (before I get hate from Artie n Tina fans - love em but it would be a surprise if the writers suddenly decided to actually give them decent storylines)._

_I really loved Emma in the Whitney ep but I'm liking Will less and less so he had very little to do in my chapter..lol._

_I got a bit confused in this last ep. Why did Finn go on and on bout graduating together and "no man gets left behind" when Blaine, Artie, Rory and Joe all don't get to graduate this year? Also Puck's dad turning up felt kinda random and using him as a major plot twist to explain Puck's sudden wish to graduate would've worked much better if he had not already given that as his wish during the "On My Way" peanut butter scene._

_Was anybody else desperately checking the background for Whoopi during Rachel's performance of Cry?_

_Yea.. think ima go watch Not The Boy Next Door a few more times._

_:-)_


	56. Chapter 56: Cards

_I'm sorry!_

* * *

><p>Kurt threw the pen away in a fit of rage and got up so fast that the chair he had been sitting on fell over.<p>

"Damn it!" he cursed, glad that nobody was around to hear him, he was kind of proud of beeing the Schuester kid with the least filthy mouth.

Since Puck had quit college and moved back in with them Kurt was sharing his room with Sam again, but his brother was at glee club practice along with their father, sisters and brother Artie. Of course Puck had said he would only be living with them for a short while and get a place of his own as soon as possible, but a lot had happened since then.

Kurt dropped down onto his bed and allowed his mind to wander to everything that had happened in the last few months. His second oldest brother had moved back in again, that had been the start. Kurt had not minded at all, he loved Noah. Of course things had gotten a bit crowded around Christmas time, when Finn came home and Santana convinced the family to let a very pregnant Quinn stay with them while her parents were on their yearly cruise. It had been almost funny to see Puck and the latina trying to outrace each other whenever the mother to be had requested anything, but Kurt had felt strangely uncomfortable around the former head cheerleader. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, like what was going to happen with the baby? Was she going to keep it or give it up for adoption? If she kept it, what kind of roles would Puck and Santana get to play? Most of the family had been wondering the exact same thing, but nobody dared to mention the elephant in the room. And this elephant was not easily ignored! Kurt had tried to keep his eyes from straying to Quinn's enormous baby bump by keeping them fixed on the other monstrosity in the room: Rachel Berry's hideous, multi-colored reindeer sweater. The boy had hoped that the diva would learn just a little bit about style while living in a fashion capitol like New York, but she still dressed the same way as ever. It was hard not to say anything, but Kurt did not want to spoil things for his big brother. Finn was so happy to get to spend some time with his girlfriend, he hardly noticed the fresh plates of cookies their mother kept serving. Most of the cookies were split between Sam and their uncle Donnie, who again entertained them with stories about his foreign adventures while his sister kept reminding him to keep things PG in front of her children.

"Oh come on, Ems! They're all grown up!" he replied every single time, winking at thirteen year old Kurt.

This just caused his sentimental sister to almost break down in tears. She did not want to think about her children leaving the house and needed no reminder of the fact that Santana and the twins would be graduating next summer. Will had quite a lot of comforting to do during the holidays.

Donnie had soon left them again to embark on another adventure and Rachel had invited Finn to celebrate New Years with her in New York, watching the ball drop on Times Square. The twins had chosen to celebrate at Mike's house and with Sue and Becky away on vacation the house had almost felt empty to those of them who had been left behind.

Kurt had just been beaten by Artie on a video game he did not care enough about to remember the title of when it had happened: Quinn had been feeling a little under the weather and asked for a drink, which of course prompted both Santana and Puck to run to the kitchen, one coming back with water, the other with orange juice, both eager to be carrying the drink the girl would choose, but Quinn had only sat there looking pale and ignoring both offers.

"Do you want us to bring you anything else? We got hot chocolate if you want to." Puck had tried.

Quinn had only winced and shaken her blonde head.

"Anything you want… we can get it. I mean.. it's only a quarter to midnight plenty of places will be open right now." the boy tried again. "I could make you a milkshake?"

"Shut it, dumbass. She doesn't want your milkshake." Santana had barked. "Just step back, you're suffocating her."

"I'm not! I'm just trying to keep her hydrated!"

The whole family turned to them watching the show. Usually Santana won their arguments but it could get pretty funny when Puck was not in the mood to give up too easily.

"She'll be perfectly hydrated once she drinks the juice!"

"Guys!" Quinn tried to interrupt.

"You know there's too much acid in that. It's not good for the baby!"

"Says who?"

"Guys?"

"Says me."

"Guys!"

"WHAT?" they both snapped.

"I think my water just broke."

Puck stared at the glass he'd been holding, completely confused.

"No, it's…. ooooooooooooh. OOOOH!"

"God, sometimes you remind me of Finn."

"Santana!"

"Sorry, dad."

"And…."

"Sorry, Puck." she sighed.

"AND?"

"And what! Finn isn't even here!"

Artie quickly reached for a bucket of popcorn and the older siblings got back to their discussion until they were interrupted again.

"Orange juice is a healthy drink, it is full of vitamins!"

"Guys!"

"What?"

"Could someone please take me to the hospital?"

"Of course! God! We're so sorry!"

Everyone had gone into motion, almost falling over each other.

Puck had run to get the car but of course Santana thought she would be the better driver on the icy roads, so in the end it had been Artie and Kurt who had helped Quinn into her coat and out of the house, while their mother mourned the loss of her favorite couch.

Beth Schuester Fabray, was born at 6.48am on January 1st. Quinn had insisted on adding Schuester to her name and for once neither Puck nor Santana had objected. They had both been allowed to be there for the birth and both claimed it to be the most important moment in their lives, though Puck had secretly admitted that it was the grossest thing he had ever witnessed. It seemed to calm the two siblings, too. There were far less fights as both just wanted the best for the little girl and her mother. And whenever the baby was around they behaved like perfect angels, making their own parents grin with amusement.

Quinn decided to keep the little girl, much to everyone's relief, she reluctantly quit Yale and now attended the local community college.

"I've always wanted to go into real estate or maybe even interior design. I think that's what I'm going to pursue for now." she had declared.

Since she managed to get into evening classes she could spend the days with her daughter and with Puck, Santana and Emma practically fighting to get to baby sit that was no problem either.

Lying back on his bed Kurt could hear his older brother come home and coo at his baby girl in the next room and it made him smile. Everything seemed to be working out just fine. Noah had truly turned his life around, just a few months back he had been a college drop out who did not know what the future held in store for him. Now he was training for a job he really liked, was the most popular guy at the garage he worked at, had made up with his sister and was allowed to hold his daughter whenever he wanted to.

Kurt just knew he needed to turn his life around as well. He was tired of hiding, sick of being ashamed. He was going to be proud of who he was. And that was how he had ended up where he was, lying frustrated on his bed. For the last two hours he had been trying to find the perfect words to put on a card he was going to give to Nick the next day. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day.

He had not managed to come up with anything brilliant that evening and the empty card still stared at him accusingly in the morning. He really did not want to ask his parents, siblings or friends for advice this time, so in the end he ended up writing a simple "I really like you". Well, not so simple if you were not yet fourteen and probably the only gay boy in town. If that was the case a card like this could actually get you killed, but Kurt wanted to be brave and honest and he decided to take a risk.

He gave the card to Nick during their second class that morning. Well, give might have been the wrong word to describe th action, he simply dropped it onto the boy's desk as he walked by and nobody even seemed to have noticed. Kurt felt like a ninja when Nick grabbed the card with a look of confusion on his face. The other boy did not open the card right away, tucking it into his textbook instead. Kurt felt both relieved and disappointed by the move. He knew it was safer this way, but a not so small part of him had wanted to see Nick's face when he read the card.

By the time his lunch break rolled around Kurt Schuester was a nervous wreck. Everyone in the cafeteria was excitedly talking about valentine's cards and gifts. Kurt himself had - not counting the stuffed unicorn Brittany had surprised him with in the morning - received four cards. He knew the first three were from Mercedes, Lauren and Becky and were mere tokens of friendship, but the fourth card intrigued him. It was a simple card with a heart on the front and on the inside it read "from a secret admirer". The handwriting was sloppy and Kurt figured it had probably been written in a haste - much like the one he wrote that morning - and even more likely had been written by a boy. The idea of Nick giving him a card as well had the teen positively beaming and bouncing in his seat, but as hard as he tried he could not catch a glimpse of the object of his affection.

Kurt stared at Nick throughout all their shared classes for the rest of the day but there was no eye contact at all and the other boy stuck close to his friends the whole time, he was getting slightly frustrated wondering if the boy had simply not read his card and if the card he had received was nothing but a bad joke.

At the end of the day Kurt said goodbye to his friends and sat down on the school steps to wait for his mother, she was running late, but he was not worried as a day like valentine's could get busy for a counselor, all those broken hearts to take care of. He wished he could browse through the Vogue magazine Mercedes had given him, but there were still too many jocks around to risk having it stolen or defaced.

"Hey." a voice suddenly ripped him out of his thoughts.

Kurt's breath caught in his throat, standing above him was none other than Nick Duval himself.

"Hey." he croaked in response.

Nick sat down next to him, making his heart beat so loud he was sure the other boy could hear it.

"This is from you, right?" Nick said, holding up the valentine's card.

Kurt almost pointed out that of course it was from him, he had signed it after all, but then he thought maybe Nick wondered if his card was a prank, like he did by now with his secret admirer card.

"Y-yes." he nodded instead.

"So… you're like … gay?" Nick asked.

Kurt nodded slowly.

When Nick sighed and scratched the back of his neck, Kurt wanted to give him the award for most adorable gesture right there and then.

"I… I don't know what to say… I mean…you seem to be a really cool guy…"

Kurt almost snorted at being called "cool" but it is kind of hard to snort when you are holding your breath.

"I just… I don't think I can take this." he pulled the card out of his bag and gave it back to Kurt. "I'm not like you."

Kurt felt like someone had kicked him right where it hurts the most. He held the card in his trembling hands, feeling like he had just been handed the pieces of his broken heart. It took a deep breath to realize Nick had walked off and joined his group of friends on their way to the buses, one arm slung over Jeff Sterling's shoulders.

"Yeah, not gay my ass." someone huffed.

Kurt looked up and saw it was Dave Karofsky. What was the boy here? He was a freshmen in high school and did not have any younger siblings Kurt knew of, so he should be across the lot or on his way home, why was he here listening to Kurt's most embarrassing conversation? Why was he of all people witness to the younger boy's first heartbreak?

Kurt opened his mouth but before he could say anything the older boy turned around and walked away.

"Weird." the Schuester boy muttered before finally spotting his mother's car.

Kurt told his sisters what had happened a couple days later, not wanting to spoil their valentine's, even though officially Santana spent hers babysitting with Quinn. The girls wasted no time in breaking out the ice cream and sad movies. They quietly sobbed into their bowls as they ate and Kurt told them the whole story.

"Don't be sad, Kurtie, you'll find your prince." Brittany said as she snuggled up to his left side.

"It's no loss. All men suck anyways." Santana supplied from the right.

"And remember." Brit added looking into his eyes. "He never said he wasn't gay, he just said he wasn't like you."

"What else is that supposed to mean?" Kurt whined.

"Oh, Kurtie. You're the bravest unicorn on earth, there aren't a lot of boys out there as brave as you, but you'll find the one that is. I know you will."

The boy looked into his sister's eyes and wanted nothing more than to believe her.

* * *

><p>Time moved on and it is true that it is a great healer, soon Kurt could look at Nick without that jab to his heart and on the day the boy had to laugh so hard during their lunch break that milk shot out of his nose - Kurt did not know what he ever saw in him.<p>

The glee club did not make it to nationals that year and everyone was devastated. Santana was sure the judges had been bribed and swore to never sing in a choir again, she said she was born to shine on her own anyways. The twins and Mike simply threw themselves into cheerleading and football for the rest of the school year. Artie and their father felt pretty much abandoned.

Artie and Tina spent a lot of time at the Schuester house trying to think of ways to get new members, Kurt and Mercedes had already promised to sign up, looking forward to their freshmen year. Lauren said she would think about it, she had a reputation to protect after all.

So when Artie decided to use his sixteenth birthday party to recruit and invite every student who had ever shown the slightest bit of musical talent it became a rather big event. The parents joked about the long list of guests and how behind each name it said their (possible) vocal range, but in reality Will had his hopes up just as high.

With the great weather it was the usual garden party with a number of kids already making good use of the karaoke machine Artie had been given so they finally did not have to borrow the Berry's anymore. Kurt was inside when the doorbell rang, announcing a late arrival.

When the fourteen year old opened the door time seemed to stand still, he was sure the boy on the other side was the hottest guy he had ever seen. He was just a little taller than the youngest Schuester, who was still waiting for his growth spurt and he was running a tan hand through a head of adorably messy curls.

"Hey!" he beamed. "I'm sorry I'm late. I am late, right? I bet I'm late." he checked his watch. "Yes, definitely late. Don't you just hate it when that happens?"

Kurt just gaped at the older teen.

"Well, at least I get to make a big entrance, right?" the boy grinned at him. "My name is Blaine."

Kurt stared at the outstretched hand. Was he dreaming?

* * *

><p><em>AN:<em>

_Okay, I am really really really sorry for the long wait. I tried to come up with all kinds of good explanations, like how life caught up with me, lotsa exams, a one week long school trip to Canterbury, being cast as Roger in my high school's production of Grease, but I know I normally would have been able to write through all of that._

_Then I thought maybe I had my first real writer's block. I had started a chapter ages ago, it was a detailed Christmas chapter that led up to the birth of baby Beth. I got stuck, knowing that I could not make this chapter about Kurt n how I just didn't feel comfortable writing so much for other characters, event though I normally love writing Puck and Santana. As a gay teenage boy I also really did not feel comfortable or qualified writing bout birth. I talked to my reader-turned-friend Steven about it and he told me that if I didn't feel okay with writing that chapter I should just skip it and move on to what I want to write about - cuz ultimately it's my story. So please send all your hate mail to him… lol. I'll send him a cute Darren gif for each one to make up for it…hehe. Honestly.. His advice probably saved this story._

_And he truth is I don't think any of that was the real reason. The reason was more of a "it's not you - it's Glee."_

_I was so incredibly disappointed with this season and especially with the way it ended. I feel like Ryan Murphy promised me that Kurt would not be a victim but a winner and just did not keep that promise. I feel betrayed. All season I just kept watching my fave character lose. Then I didn't even get any cute couple moments for Klaine. And don't get me started on The First Time where Finn got pity sex and I felt like Kurt had sex cuz he was afraid of losing Blaine. I was willing to make myself believe that he did it cuz he's a teenage boy, but the timing remains bittersweet._

_About Blaine: I guess by now it is common knowledge that his Benjamin Button syndrome makes me raging mad. I was told this character was gonna be a confident gay mentor to Kurt, then Kurt asks him to switch schools so his senior year can be magical - and not only do they not seem to share any classes except for Glee, they hardly interact in school at all… and Kurt now looks like an ass for leaving Blaine behind. I'm convinced that the writers hadn't even bothered to write a new character description for Blaine by the start of this season, cuz all I see in the first few eps is Darren being Darren (And he's adorable and great doing that, I'm not dissing the actor, ok) Then we got lots of angry Blaine and by the end of the season he just seemed kinda whiny. I was hoping for some more character development in Big Brother but I guess song sales have become so much more important than storylines, unless they are about his hair *sigh*_

_It was hard for me to finally have Blaine appear in this chapter while I feel so conflicted about the character._

_WARNING: the Blaine in my story will be totally OOC according to how the character is currently (we know it might change at any time) written on the show. Misfits-Blaine is older than Kurt. He is an out, proud, confident, gay boy. He also has some of Darren's kinda triggerfic personality and energy cuz I can totally see Kurt falling for that._

_As of right now I can't promise I will be watching season 4, I still stick to my conspiracy theory of RIB are sabotaging the show cuz they lost interest but still got contracts. I do promise to keep writing this story though. I still got stuff to tell._

_Wow this is turning out much longer than I wanted it to…_

_Okay… just few more things I'm terrible at navigating this site and keep losing messages, so if you ever need me to get back to you , you can tweet me boylikeme94 , just don't judge my borderline obsessive stalker tweets._

_I wanna thank Steven for keeping me sane during the crazy times, for being a friend n for letting me send him lots of chris colfer gifs even tho he's a die hard darren stan._

_Thanks to sophieilovekurthummel for caring, sorry for worrying you._

_Special thanks to MathematicalLucy for letting me know the story reached it's 1 year anniversary. We should have some cake!_

_Big Kurt hugs to everyone who still bothers reading and a baby Kurt to keep and cuddle for every single reviewer!_

_Ok.. I think my soap box is getting embarrassed for me..hehe_


	57. Chapter 57: Karaoke Plays

Sorry for the long wait - again - I suck

* * *

><p>His mind was racing so fast it made him dizzy. Had he met this boy before? Was he one of Artie's jazz band friends? He looked strangely familiar but Kurt just could not place him anywhere. His heart was beating really fast now and there was nothing but white noise deafening his ears. Gosh, you idiot! Pull yourself together! You're going to give yourself a stroke! Now, how embarrassing would that be? It surely had the potential of breaking the scale used to measure the most horrible first impressions.<p>

He took a deep breath and opened his eyes - wait - his eyes had been closed? Could this get any worse? When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw where fingers - wiggling fingers - right, he was still staring at Blaine's outstretched hand. Oh my, what was he supposed to do? Take it! Right! Shake his hand!.

Kurt shook the older boy's hand and willed himself to search eye contact even though he was just about ready for the floor to open up and swallow him whole. He noticed how the other boy's hand was soft but the fingertips felt slightly calloused. Guitar player's hands, like Sam's and Puck's. Kurt made sure to remember that if he ever got the chance he would tell this boy about the perfect moisturizer, something that had only caused his brothers' to laugh, but he had the feeling this guy might actually listen. He looked like a guy who took care of himself judging by the perfect pores on his face. God Kurt! Stop it! He's going to think you're crazy! But Blaine did not seem to have noticed the younger boy's inner monologue, he was grinning widely and it almost looked like his eyebrows were dancing on his forehead.

"Are you Artie's brother?"

God, no! Now he was supposed to remember how to speak as well? The youngest Schuester searched his mind once more, words were floating around but they were all jumbled up and the poor boy did not know how to start a proper sentence. In the end he decided continuing the silence would be even more embarrassing so he just let his mind reach for the one word that looked most important right then.

"Kurt!" he said, cheering internally when he realized he had made the right choice.

"Nice to meet you, Kurt. Would you be so kind and show me to the party?"

"Sure."

The younger boy turned to lead the way and only now realized that they were still holding hands. And not only were they holding them, but they were holding them in a really awkward way with Kurt's arm now draped in front of him as he walked. Blaine did not seem to mind at all and just babbled about how lovely their home was. Kurt nodded along politely knowing his siblings would never let him hear the end of it if he entered the garden holding another boy's hand. He had often dreamed of it happening, but in those dreams the boy was his boyfriend and they had known each other for more than two minutes - also one of them was using his left hand which made it a whole less awkward. The closer they got to the porch the more panicked Kurt was beginning to feel, luckily he was saved by Valentino.

"Puppy!" Blaine yelled excitedly, letting go of Kurt's hand to pet the dog.

The Schuester boy stood to the side watching what had to be the most elaborate puppy cuddling session, Valentino looked completely blissed out and Blaine's smile seemed to grow even more, if that was even possible. The older boy looked so happy and relaxed and beautiful - wait - had he just thought of another boy as beautiful?

"We call him Tino." he supplied awkwardly, but before the older boy could reply they were interrupted by Artie.

"Hey Blaine!" the birthday boy smiled. "I'm glad you could make it. Why don't you come outside and choose a song? The queue for the karaoke machine is already getting quite long."

"Oh. I don't think I want to…"

"Of course you do!"

And with that the wheel chaired boy guided his guest out into the garden.

As much as his heart told him to follow the others Kurt decided he needed a moment to himself and quickly ran up to his room. He threw himself on his bed and tried to remember every tiny detail of what had just happened. How badly had he embarrassed himself? Could it have been worse? And what was he supposed to do if he got to talk to Blaine again? Wait - did he want to talk to Blaine again? Oh who was he kidding - of course he did. The boy was gorgeous and charming and Kurt wanted to learn absolutely everything about him. Well… there was only one way to do that. The teen quickly checked himself in the mirror, at least his outfit was perfect with the stylish graphic t-shirt and skinny jeans. Then he walked back to the party looking for the one person he really needed to talk to now. Finally the familiar head of dark hair came into view.

"Tina!" he called out.

"Hey Kurt. Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah." he shifted awkwardly.

"Have you chosen your song yet? I'd really love to hear you sing." she smiled.

"No, listen… I kind of really need to talk to you."

"You sound so serious. Is it an emergency?" she looked more excited than worried.

The boy thought about it for a few seconds.

"It is kind of a life or death situation actually." he whispered.

Tina's eyes widened before she grabbed his hand and pulled him back inside.

"Okay, what's going on?"

"Let's go up to my room, I don't want anyone to overhear."

When they were finally settled facing each other on Kurt's bed the girl looked at him expectantly.

"Is this about Artie's present again? You really don't have to worry about giving him clothes. He knows he needs some help in that department - I tell him all the time."

"It's not about his present, I already gave it to him - he's wearing it right now."

"Oh, I thought he looked really good today. Great choice!"

"Thanks."

"So… what is this about then? Do you want me to try and get you a job at Asian camp?"

"No, I really don't think I'd fit in there."

"Yeah, probably not." she sighed. " Okay, I'm out of guesses."

There was a silence while Tina just looked at the younger teen expectantly.

"This is about one of the party guests. There's this boy… and I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about him."

"Ooooh!" Tina excitedly clapped her hands. "Do you like him? Is he cute? Have you kissed?"

Kurt got a little scared by the way the girl's eyes glassed over whenever there was a possibility of gay romance, but decided to ignore it.

"No, we didn't kiss! He just got here!"

"Okay, who is it?"

"He said his name is Blaine."

"Hm. Don't think I know him." the girl said.

Kurt could feel his heart fall.

"But Artie knew him… and he only invited people from school, right?"

"Yeah, but he was desperate to find new voices for the glee club so he invited pretty much everybody. He even came close to inviting the Karofsky kid."

"Wait. Dave Karofsky?"

"Yeah. Apparently Artie heard him sing in the locker rooms once after school and he says the guy was actually kind of good. Of course he did not invite him with your back story and all. I think he will never forgive him for breaking his glasses."

Kurt was confused for a moment but decided to shake it off, there were more important things to think of right now.

"What about Blaine? You really don't know where he might know him from?"

"Maybe if you describe him?" Tina said.

"Okay." the boy closed his eyes for a moment to think of every last detail and sighed. "He's a little taller than me but not a tall guy. He should be around your age. He's got this really nice dark, curly hair that covers his triangular eyebrows and falls a little into his eyes. Oh… his eyes are this really beautiful color… like caramel… or liquid gold…"

Kurt got lost in his thoughts but only realized it when Tina giggled.

"Sorry." the boy blushed.

"You got it bad, kiddo." the girl smiled.

"I just wished you knew him." his shoulders slumped.

"His name is Blaine Anderson."

"What? You do know him?"

"Of course I do! Lima is a small town and don't get me started on how limited the eye candy at McKinley is, especially now that Mike is leaving."

In a different situation Kurt might have noticed the girl blushing when she mentioned his brother's best friend, but right now he had other things on his mind.

"You know him! But you said…"

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to know what you really think of him and your description was the best way to find out." she grinned.

Kurt threw a pillow at her, but she caught it laughing, tossing it right back.

"Poor Kurtie, you got it sooooo bad! Kurt and Blaine sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I…" he hit her with the pillow again.

"You're enjoying this way too much! Could you please be a friend and just tell me what you know about him?" he begged.

"Okay, okay." the girl took a deep breath that seemed to take years in Kurt's perception. "His name is Blaine Anderson, he's sixteen and he's a year below me and Artie."

"Wait… shouldn't he be in your year?"

"Yes, I'm not sure what happened there, but I guess he had to repeat this year. I don't know why just that he only just transferred a couple of months ago. Maybe your mom would know?"

Kurt could not imagine dragging his mother into a discussion about a brand new crush.

"Why did he transfer?"

"I'm not sure. There's a lot of rumors, most of them involve his family losing a lot of money. I heard he transferred from one of those really fancy private schools."

Kurt mulled all this new information over while chewing on his bottom lip. Apparently there was more of a mystery to Blaine than he had thought at first sight.

"Do you want to go back to the party or can I talk you into letting me paint your nails?" Tina interrupted.

Kurt quickly hid his hands.

"Let's go back to the party." he said. "And please don't tell anyone, okay?"

Of course Tina would not tell but the thought of getting something out of it intrigued her.

"What's in it for me?" she grinned.

"What do you want?" the boy asked.

"Do I get to watch you guys make out?" her eyes shone dark.

"No!" Kurt felt himself panic at the thought.

The girl pouted.

"How about I'll come over to your house and show you how to combine all your clothes so even Joan Rivers couldn't find something to critique about you?"

"Hm… okay… but I want a trip to the mall as well."

"Deal."

They shook their hands on it before the girl looped her arm through his and dragged him back downstairs towards the party.

Right before they stepped outside Kurt stopped them and looked at his friend.

"Wait. Do you know… I mean… is he…"

"Do I know if he's gay?" the girl asked.

Kurt nodded, feeling himself blush and his ears grow burning hot.

"I honestly don't know. Sorry."

Kurt sighed and they continued to walk outside. Tina quickly found herself dragged away by some friends and the boy was left alone. He looked around but could not find Blaine anywhere. It was probably for the best, what was he supposed to do when he saw him anyways? Run up and talk to him like they were old friends? They had known each other for no more than a few minutes and as life changing, new and exciting as those had felt for Kurt, the older boy most likely did not feel the same way. So Kurt had opened a door for him - big deal - it made him nothing more than a porter. If Blaine used to be as rich as Tina had hinted at he was probably used to porters or even butlers. All Kurt was to him was Artie's little brother.

"Hey boy, who are you dreaming of?" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What?" he looked up to see Lauren and Mercedes watching him curiously.

"You just almost walked by us."

"Oh, sorry!"

"Trying to think of a song? Your brother is forcing everyone to sing at least once."

"Oh…yeah… a song…"

He joined the girly for some cake and a long discussion about which songs suited their voices the best. It was at least an hour later, as he came back from getting himself a diet coke out of the fridge when he spotted Blaine again. The older boy was standing on the other side of the porch, his facial expression an even mix of confused and amused as he listened to one of Brittany's stories.

Kurt really wanted to watch the other boy a little bit longer so he decided on the smoothest cover up move of them all and pretended to tie his shoes. When he decided that two minutes was about as long as anyone could get away with pretending to need to tie up laces he straightened up. Brittany caught his eye and waved him over. He did a little internal fist bump of joy.

"Hey Kurtie! Would you mind entertaining my new friend Blaine for a bit?" she asked, before turning to the curly haired boy again. "I need to go inside and turn on the tv. Lord Tubbington's favorite show starts soon."

She hugged both boys goodbye at once, bringing them very close together, and skipped away. Kurt felt really nervous trying to think of something smart or charming to say but apparently that was not expected or necessary.

"Do I need to know this Lord Tubbington?" the older boy asked.

"No. He's just our cat. Brittany has a very special relationship to him."

"So you have a dog, a cat, a brother and a sister. One of each. How cool." the boy smiled.

Kurt wondered if it was possible to fall in love with a smile but managed to stay alert enough to reply.

"Actually I have one dog, one cat, two sisters and four brothers."

"Really?" Blaine's eyebrows almost jumped off his head. "Wow, I'd call that a full house."

"How about you?" Kurt felt brave enough to ask.

"I have two brothers."

The way the older teen said this made Kurt think he did not really want to talk about his family but before he could reply or change the subject they were interrupted by his brother once more.

"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt." Artie said a little out of breath, holding up a clipboard. "But according to this you're up next, Blaine."

"Oh right." the boy ran a hand through his curls. "Talk to you later Kurt?"

"Of course." the younger boy replied, not sure which he was happiest about, the fact that his dream boy remembered his name, that he wanted to talk to him again - or that he was about to hear him sing. He quickly joined Lauren, Mercedes and Becky who had secured themselves a spot with a nice view of the little stage.

As Blaine appeared all three of the girls gasped.

"Wow, he's hot!" Becky said, the other two nodding in agreement.

"Who is he?"

Kurt just shrugged, not quite ready to share the boy with them yet and sipped on his coke. The music started and the boy almost choked as Blaine turned and sang the first lines directly to him - or did it just feel that way?

_You think I'm pretty  
>Without any makeup on<br>You think I'm funny  
>When I tell the punchline wrong<br>I know you get me  
>So I let my walls come down, down<em>

_Before you met me_  
><em>I was alright but things<em>  
><em>Were kinda heavy<em>  
><em>You brought me to life<em>  
><em>Now every February<em>  
><em>You'll be my Valentine, Valentine<em>

_Let's go all the way tonight_  
><em>No regrets, just love<em>  
><em>We can dance, until we die<em>  
><em>You and I, will be young forever<em>

_You make me feel  
>Like I'm livin' a<br>Teenage dream  
>The way you turn me on<br>I can't sleep  
>Let's run away and<br>Don't ever look back,  
>Don't ever look back<em>

_My heart stops_  
><em>When you look at me<em>  
><em>Just one touch<em>  
><em>Now baby I believe<em>  
><em>This is real<em>  
><em>So take a chance and<em>  
><em>Don't ever look back,<em>  
><em>Don't ever look back<em>

_We drove to Cali  
>And got drunk on the beach<br>Got a motel and  
>Built a fort out of sheets<br>I finally found you  
>My missing puzzle piece<br>I'm complete  
><em>  
><em>Let's go all the way tonight<br>No regrets, just love  
>We can dance, until we die<br>You and I, will be young forever_

_You make me feel_  
><em>Like I'm livin' a<em>  
><em>Teenage dream<em>  
><em>The way you turn me on<em>  
><em>I can't sleep<em>  
><em>Let's run away and<em>  
><em>Don't ever look back,<em>  
><em>Don't ever look back<em>

_My heart stops  
>When you look at me<br>Just one touch  
>Now baby I believe<br>This is real  
>So take a chance and<br>Don't ever look back,  
>Don't ever look back<em>

_I'm a get your heart racing_  
><em>In my skin-tight jeans<em>  
><em>Be your teenage dream tonight<em>  
><em>Let you put your hands on me<em>  
><em>In my skin-tight jeans<em>  
><em>Be your teenage dream tonight<em>

_Yoooouuu  
>You make me feel<br>Like I'm livin' a  
>Teenage dream<br>The way you turn me on  
>I can't sleep<br>Let's run away and  
>Don't ever look back,<br>Don't ever look back  
>No<em>

_My heart stops_  
><em>When you look at me<em>

_Just one touch  
>Now baby I believe<br>This is real  
>So take a chance and<br>Don't ever look back,  
>Don't ever look back<em>

I_'m a get your heart racing_  
><em>In my skin-tight jeans<em>  
><em>Be your teenage dream tonight<em>  
><em>Let you put your hands on me<em>  
><em>In my skin-tight jeans<em>  
><em>Be your teenage dream tonight<em>

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Sorry again for the long wait. Life n stuff - don't you hate it when that happens? Also this might be my last chapter ever cuz I fully expect death by Colfer for all of us when next week's riots happen. I don't even know how I survived those latest pics. *sigh*<strong>  
><em>

_**Thanks again to all my reviewers n those who tweeted me. You're all so nice to me I wish I could give baby Kurts to each of you! (wow.. that sounded a whole lot naughtier than intented)  
><strong>_


	58. Chapter 58: The Major Key

Sorry again... life just sucks right now...

* * *

><p>Because I was asked to list their ages again:<p>

Beth = 6 months

Kurt, Mercedes, Lauren =14

Azimio, Karofsky = 15

Becky and Blaine = 16 (but held back for reasons)

Artie, Tina = 16

Brittany, Sam, Santana, Mike = 18

Finn, Puck, Rachel, Quinn = 20

Emma = late 40s

Will, Donnie, Sue, Beiste = early 50s

Victoria = 39+ (kidding.. probably around 70-75 but not gonna say for sure in case I wanna let her have a party)

* * *

><p>Blaine stood in the corner he had been almost forced into by a girl named Becky who was busy telling him about her life. He was trying hard to look like he was listening to her while in reality all his attention was on the brunette boy talking to Artie next to the little stage.<p>

Blaine himself had left said stage only a few minutes earlier, hoping to be able to talk to the blue-eyed boy some more but instead he had been ambushed by the tiny blonde in her obviously self-made cheerleading uniform. What was wrong with him? Why could he not stop watching the other boy?

Kurt. That was his name. He had told him in the most angelic voice he had ever heard while they were shaking hands. Oh and his hands felt great! They were all warm and soft but his grip was nice and firm. Blaine had not wanted to let go so they had walked across the living room holding hands in quite an awkward way - yet it had felt right to him. When they had neared the porch Blaine had begun to panic. He could not walk out there still holding the other boy's hand! What would people think? They had only just met! And this was his friend's little brother. Not that Artie was such a close friend, they had only briefly talked once or twice, so Blaine did not really know if the rule of not dating your friend's exes or siblings applied to them. Oh wow… he was getting way ahead of himself right now! He was not even officially out at school yet. Not that he was hiding who he was, he had promised himself to never do that again - it just had not come up yet.

He had been saved by the sudden appearance of this really cute dog. Blaine loved animals but the had pretended to be far more excited about meeting this one than he really was. He had cuddled the happy little ball of fur while still keeping an eye on the brunette teen watching him. Then Artie had interrupted them and he had lost sight of the younger boy for quite some time and just when he had found him again he had to go on stage and sing. He hoped nobody had noticed that he had been singing most of his song to the blue-eyed boy. He just had not been able to help himself.

"Are you even listening?" an annoyed voice tore him from his thoughts.

Blaine stared at the blonde girl who looked up at him with her hand on her hip and suddenly looked very intimidating.

"Uhm.. I.."

"Hey Becky, I think your mom is looking for you." obviously God had answered his prayers and sent an angel to save Blaine.

The girl hesitated looking from Blaine to Kurt and back like she was trying to figure something out or watching a very brief tennis match.

"Make sure nobody moves in on my man:" she whispered to her friend before she left.

"Hi." Kurt breathed at Blaine blushing adorably.

"Thanks for saving me." the older teen replied.

"Don't worry, she doesn't bite."

"What was she wearing?"

"Oh, Becky can't wait to join the Cheerios so she made her own uniform."

"Do you think McKinley will allow her to join?" Blaine asked, not wanting to sound prejudiced.

"They'll have to. Her mom is the cheerleading coach."

"Her mother is Sue Sylvester? She's so scary! I swear I once saw her…" before Blaine could continue the boys were interrupted by the woman herself.

"Porcelain, I hope you and young Burt Reynolds have not chosen to stand this close to the cake to actually be in a good position once the fight for the largest pieces breaks out. I expect you to be in perfect Cheerio shape by the start of school."

"Sure Coach." Kurt replied.

The woman gave both boys a last analyzing look through narrowed eyes and walked off.

"Sorry, this is just sort of how she talks." the younger boy tried to explain.

Blaine attempted to clear his mind which was currently busy trying to think of what exactly a young Burt Reynolds had looked like.

"Why is she even here?" he wondered.

"She lives right next door, so it's kind of hard to keep her out."

"Must be weird running into your teacher all the time."

"Well, she's not my teacher yet. I'm not starting at McKinley until after summer." Kurt explained, mentally kicking himself for giving away that he was younger. Oh, who was he kidding? He did look his age after all.

"Let me know if you need any help - I'll be the expert newbie by then:" Blaine said and his heart beat faster when the other boy smiled in return.

"Thanks." the younger boy breathed blushing again.

Blaine never thought he would be this fascinated by blushing skin. He could not think of anything else to say, wanting to just stare at this boy forever but before things could get too embarrassing they were interrupted yet again.

"Sweetie, Finn and Rachel will be here soon, can you help your siblings guard the cake and karaoke machine?"

"Sure mom." the boy replied, blushing even harder upon being called sweetie in front of someone who was not family.

"Nice to see you here Blaine." the woman smiled. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes, thank you ma'am." he answered her feeling embarrassed because the counselor recognized him.

Kurt seemed to sense his unease and did not question him at all.

"Boo!" a black girl came running to them. "We need to get ready to perform our song and Becky says she doesn't want to perform with us any more cause she's going to be busy with some guy she just met."

"Sorry Cedes. I promised my mom to keep an eye on the cake. Can't we do it later?"

"Fine." the girl huffed. "I'll just have to do a solo."

The boys watched her walk off in the same direction they could now see Becky making her way back towards them.

"Wanna hide?" Kurt asked looking at Blaine.

"I really, really do!" the teen said while nodding emphatically.

"Come on then." the younger boy giggled before leading the way.

They went back inside and then upstairs, away from the other guests and party noise.

"Is it okay for us to be up here?" Blaine asked.

"I live here." Kurt smiled.

"Yea.. I know… I just don't want to upset anyone."

"It's fine." the younger boy replied opening a door to their right. "Welcome to my humble abode."

The room was painted in a light blue that reminded Blaine of the summer sky and looking back at the other boy he realized that it made his eyes shine even brighter. He gulped not sure of what to do or say and needed all his self control to tear his eyes away. Instead he chose to look around the room. Of course there was a neatly made bed which he decided not to look at too closely, some shelves, a very tidy desk - much unlike his own messy one at home - and some Broadway posters on the walls . He inspected the little sea monkey aquarium with a smile before his gaze was drawn to a large collage on the wall right above the bed.

"That's awesome!" he exclaimed, trying to take a closer look at the pictures without touching the sheets. "Did you make this yourself?"

"Yes. I started years ago and can't seem to stop so it just keeps getting bigger."

"I love it." the curly haired boy replied smiling widely.

"Thanks." was the answer accompanied by more adorably blushing.

Blaine found the work of art so intriguing he finally gave up his hesitation and gingerly knelt on the bed.

"Explain it to me?" he asked.

Kurt crawled onto the bed next to him.

"It's mostly pictures of friends and family and some keepsakes like theater tickets and stuff."

"I wish I had something like it." Blaine said inspecting it very closely now.

"It's fairly easy to make."

"Maybe you could show me?"

"Maybe …"

Oh he could get addicted to those blue eyes and that blush. But maybe it was time to save the poor guy.

"Are this your parents?"

"Yes. I guess you already met my mom… my dad works at the school too, he teaches Spanish and Glee club."

"Oh right. I think I've seen him. I'm taking French myself."

"I love French." the younger boy smiled.

"Maybe we will end up sharing some classes." Blaine grinned and earned himself another wide smile. "This is your friend from outside, right?"

"Yes, that's Mercedes. She's my best friend in the whole world. There's also pictures of Lauren and Becky, my other friends. I guess you remember Becky."

"Sure do. She's… uhm… determined."

"Yea… she get's that from her mom I guess. Lauren is the same, she just tries to make it look like she doesn't care about anything."

"You must have lots of friends." Blaine said looking closely at more of the pictures.

"Oh no… most of these are my siblings. Finn and Noah are the oldest" he explained pointing at a photo of the two boys. "They're twenty years old. Finn is in college on a football scholarship and Noah pretty much runs the best garage in town by now, he get's them a lot of female customers…hehe. But he really only has eyes for his daughter Beth." he pointed to a picture of a baby girl cradled in a pretty blonde's arms. "That's her mother Quinn, she and Noah are not together but she's close to the whole family. This is a picture of Finn and his girlfriend Rachel. She loves musicals just as much as I do and studies in New York. One day I'm going to move there too."

Blaine loved to see the boy relax and smile as he explained the collage.

"This is Santana. She's eighteen and she was the head cheerleader at McKinley, maybe you've seen her around. She graduated this year along with the twins - Brittany and Sam."

The curly haired boy followed Kurt's finger to a picture of two familiar looking blonde teens and an Asian boy he knew was on the football team.

"That's Sam's best friend Mike and I guess you know Artie and Tina." he finished his little presentation.

"And who's this?" Blaine asked pointing at another picture towards the edge.

"That's our grandmother Victoria and uncle Donnie."

"And this?" he asked pointing to a photo of a couple close to the center.

Kurt stopped and swallowed before carefully wetting his lips with his tongue, the older boy wondered if he had done anything wrong. The couple looked friendly enough, the woman was beautiful with her pale skin and auburn curls and even though the man was bald and burly his sparkling blue eyes made him look very friendly.

"Those are my original parents." the younger boy whispered and Blaine wanted to kick himself for not noticing the resemblance sooner.

The boy's hand had stilled over the picture and Blaine gently took it into his own.

"What happened?"

"They died when I was eight."

"I'm so sorry." he gently moved his thumb over the soft skin.

"It's okay." the teen tried to shrug it off. "I was lucky and found a new family who loves me just as much."

The older boy had so many questions but realized Kurt was not ready for them. The teen seemed a little shaken so he decided to change the subject. Looking at the collage again and reading the names of all the plays and musicals on the tickets he suddenly noticed something he could not believe he had not spotted earlier.

"The rose!"

"What about it?"

"Where'd you get it?"

"At a theme park."

"Kings Island?"

"Uhm…yes."

"During a performance?"

"… Yeah…" Kurt seemed confused as to why this excited the other boy so much. "Why?"

"Just wondering." Blaine grinned as widely as humanly possible.

"Okay…"

"So are you going to join your dad's glee club next year?"

"Yea… I think I really don't have a choice but I'm actually looking forward to it. Have you thought about joining? Your voice is great. I loved that song you did out there."

Now it was Blaine's turn to blush.

"Thanks. I've always loved music and singing. I used to stage my own little musicals at home when I was little. My brothers never stop teasing me about it."

"Tell me about them."

"There's not much to tell. Daniel is twenty and in college. He might actually have a shot at becoming a professional baseball player, but our mom still hopes he will choose to become a doctor. Cooper is twenty-two, he was a star football player in high school and college but somehow he got into acting."

"Your brother is Cooper Anderson? I've seen him in magazines!"

"Yea…" Blaine obviously did not feel like talking about his famous sibling.

"Funny how your parents named him Cooper Anderson." Kurt smiled.

"Wanna know a secret?"

"Of course."

They moved closer to each other so Blaine could whisper into the younger boy's ear even though nobody was around.

"His real name is Charles. We called him Chuck until he was eighteen and decided it wasn't Hollywood enough for him."

"Oh my God!" Kurt had to laugh so hard his sides began to ache.

They chatted on easily talking about the music they loved, musicals they'd seen and songs they'd love to perform. The older boy commented on the younger one's outfit which led to a small fashion show and the discovery of their shared love for bow ties.

Blaine Anderson wished he could stop time and just live in this moment forever. It had been ages since he had felt this comfortable in another teen's presence and he wanted to enjoy this for as long as possible - but of course they were interrupted once again.

"Hey bro, everyone's looking for you!" the blonde teen Kurt had called Sam appeared in the door. He looked from his brother to Blaine to the clothes on the bed and floor and back to his sibling. "What's going on in here?"

"Nothing, just showing Blaine my room."

"Well, you shouldn't be up here. Everyone's outside waiting for you cause Artie refuses to cut the cake without you there. Finn is practically drooling all over the place, Beth is getting cranky cause she needs her sleep and Mercedes says you owe her one hell of a performance."

"I'm sorry. I'm coming." Kurt got up and hurried towards the door.

Blaine chose to follow on the younger boy's heels not liking the way his brother was looking at him at all.

Outside Kurt was pulled aside by his family and friends and the curly-haired boy felt a weird sense of loss. What was happening here? You could not possibly become this attached to somebody you only just met. He hoped to be able to talk to the other teen some more after Artie had cut the cake and all the pieces had been served but Mercedes appeared out of nowhere dragging Kurt onto the little stage. Blaine found a little spot where he could see the stage but was not so close people would notice him right away.

"Shoot! Bang! Fire!"

Mercedes, Lauren, Becky and Kurt all yelled into their mics before the boy started the song.

_So let the people talk_  
><em>This Monday morning walk<em>  
><em>Right past the fabulous mess we're in<em>  
><em>It's gonna be a beautiful day<em>  
><em>So do the bluebirds say<em>  
><em>As I take your hand<em>  
><em>And you take my kiss<em>  
><em>And I take the world<em>

_'Cause out of all the people I've known_  
><em>The places I've been<em>  
><em>The songs that I have sung<em>  
><em>The wonders I've seen<em>  
><em>Now that the dreams are all coming true<em>  
><em>Who is the one that leads me on through?<em>

_It's you_  
><em>Who puts me in the magic position, darling now<em>  
><em>You've put me in the magic position<em>  
><em>To live, to learn, to love in the major key<em>

_And I know how you've hurt_  
><em>And been dragged through the dirt<em>  
><em>But come on get back up<em>  
><em>It's the time to live<em>  
><em>So give your love to me<em>  
><em>I'm gonna keep it carefully<em>  
><em>So deep in the treasure chest below my breast<em>

_'Cause out of all the people I've known_  
><em>The places I've been<em>  
><em>The songs that I have sung<em>  
><em>The wonders I've seen<em>  
><em>Now that the dreams are all coming true<em>  
><em>Who is the one that leads me on through?<em>

_It's you_  
><em>Who puts me in the magic position, darling now<em>  
><em>You've put me in the magic position, darling so<em>  
><em>Let me put you in the magic position, darling 'cause<em>  
><em>I'm singing in the, the major key<em>

_Let me put you in the major key_

Blaine was so taken by his new friend's performance that he did not even notice the crowd that had gathered around him until it was too late. Several people had surrounded him making him feel slightly claustrophobic. He recognized Sam who had interrupted him and Kurt in the boy's room but before he could say anything to him another guy's hand landed on his shoulder.

„Why don't we have a little talk?" the tanned man with the mohawk said.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> The song the kids sing in the end is The Magic Position by Patrick Wolf. No special reason behind it - just me needing a positive song and PW being one of my heroes.

I started this chapter weeks ago but had some relapses in my recovery and couldn't focus on writing. Sorry. Don't wanna go into detail.. let's just say I'm one fucked up kid n me n my Dr Davies are working on it.

The original chapter was very different with Kurt and Blaine not having such an instant connection.. but I needed some happy Klaine right now so it changed.

Hope all of you are okay!


	59. Chapter 59: Ice

AN: Hello again!

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><p>Kurt tossed and turned for a long time until he finally gave up. Sighing into his pillow he had to admit that there was no way that he was going to manage falling asleep again. He sat up and squinted his tired eyes to get a better look at the alarm clock, groaning when he realized it only read four o'clock in the morning. He knew listening to music would not help because it only ever managed to get him excited and he had only just finished the novel he was reading the day before and unless there was a sequel he usually needed a grieving period of at least two days. Finishing a good book was like saying goodbye to a close friend you could not just go on to the next one like nothing happened.<p>

His eyes were slowly becoming adjusted to the darkness so he began to look around his room. His school bag sat fully packed on his desk and the outfit he had decided on days ago hung in front of his closet. The room was tidy as usual. There was absolutely nothing for him to do.

He glanced at his two journals lying within reach on his nightstand but quickly decided against using them. What was he supposed to write? That this was going to be his first day in high school and all he could think about was seeing a curly haired boy again?

Kurt allowed himself to fall back onto mattress and covered his face with the pillow. He began counting hoping it would make him so tired he would fall asleep again. People talked about counting sheep all the time, did they not? But all he could think of was a certain dark haired boy with his velvety voice and those beautiful eyes and it really felt stupid making poor Blaine jump fences in his mind - unless of course one of them was the fence to their garden and he would find the boy there waiting for him, arms stretched out just waiting to be embraced…

The teen groaned. Maybe he should just get up and take a really cold shower. He glanced at the clock again, only eight minutes had passed. Maybe he should go downstairs and see if Artie was up, talking to his brother would take his mind off things and they had not had a little gaming tournament in a while.

He climbed out of bed and slowly opened his door as to not make any noise and pass on his insomnia to his family. He began tip toeing past his brother's room until he remembered that it was empty. Sam had left for college more than a week ago. He had gotten a football scholarship and followed Finn to Ohio State where the brothers would be sharing Finn and Puck's old apartment during Sam's first and Finn's last year.

Santana was starting at the same college, something that had taken their parents a lot of convincing as the Latina was very reluctant to leave Lima behind, something she had dreamed about since she was a little child. The parents were confused but all of her siblings knew she really did not want to leave Quinn. The two were not officially a couple but they suspected something was going on there. They had finally been able to convince the girl that she was not out of the world and could come back and visit as often as she wanted. Kurt still thought that Quinn herself had been the one to talk sense into the girl. She was still upset about having to drop out of Yale and wanted Santana to have a normal college experience.

The boy finally reached the stairs and began his careful descent, he had tripped over Lord Tubbington or Valentino far too many times to race down in the dark. The two pets however were nowhere to be seen so he figured they were keeping Brittany company in her room. The girl missed her sister greatly and was still not used to sleeping alone. More than once had she climbed into Kurt's bed at night until he had asked her not to do so anymore because it disturbed his sleep. Of course the real reason was that he kept having dreams about Blaine and about boys in general and that and the resulting effects it had on his body was something that you really did not want to share with your sister, no matter how much you loved her.

Of course he could go up to the girl's room now for some cuddles and a little chat but he decided against it because his sister surely needed her sleep. Brittany was working hard training at a veterinary clinic during the day and taking night classes at the local community college. Her grades were not good enough to actually study medicine but the vet said she was one of the best assistants he had ever had and a natural when it came to reading the animals' moods and needs.

Kurt stopped for a second letting it sink in how many of his siblings had left their home already. Brittany was sure to meet someone soon and then leave as well and Artie had only two more years before he would leave for college. Of course there was still Noah who had his own little place above the garage in town but stayed at home more than not, especially on the days when he had Beth. The young man turned out to be a great father, something that did not surprise Kurt as he had always been a wonderful brother looking out for him all the time.

He walked across the living room and reached for his brother's door but when he opened it he found the older boy sleeping soundly. Now when had that ever been the case before? Kurt shook his head and went to the kitchen, grabbing a glass and some milk from the fridge.

"Can't sleep, kiddo?"

The boy was so startled he almost dropped the glass. He walked back into the living room area and found his father on the couch looking up at him.

"I'm sorry." he said, not sure what exactly he was apologizing for.

"No need to be sorry, buddy. I found every single one of your siblings here the night before they started high school. It's normal to be nervous or excited."

Kurt thought about what to say to this. He was not nervous about starting high school at all and it did not seem all that exciting to him either. Why should he lose sleep over a new school that did not feel new at all? He had been inside the school building about a million times, visiting his parents or siblings, attending sport events or glee club competitions. At least half of the teaching staff had been over for dinner at his house, Tina and Artie would be looking out for him and all of his friends were going to start as freshmen with him.

The real reason for his excitement was seeing Blaine again. The boy had disappeared so suddenly from his brother's party that Kurt even briefly considered having imagined their encounter. But when he had oh ever so casually mentioned him Tina, Brittany, Becky, Mercedes and Lauren had all remembered him.

What had happened? Why had he not at least said goodbye? They had hit it off really well, had they not?

"You okay?" his father's voice startled him again and he blushed, glad that there were no mind readers in his family.

"Maybe I'm more tired than I thought." he smiled. "Is it okay if I take this upstairs with me?" he asked holding up his glass of milk.

"Of course. If you can't fall back asleep you can join me for some cartoons." the man grinned holding up the remote.

Kurt shook his head and smiled, his father had a thing for silly morning shows, most of them being in Spanish.

"I'll go to bed." he said turning to leave.

"Wait a second!"

The boy stopped, had he been caught? Would his dad ask about Blaine? No, that was ridiculous.

The man grabbed him by his shoulders.

"You have to be strong today, kiddo. Not because high school is a big and scary place, but because you're your mother's baby and we all know there'll be lots of tears today. Let her hug you as much as she can before leaving the house, that way you might be able to escape her at school."

Kurt's eyes grew wide.

"She wouldn't! Would she?"

"I'm gonna try and keep her busy." the father smiled.

"Thanks dad!"

They hugged and Kurt was finally on his way back upstairs.

"I'm proud of you son!" his father's voice called after him.

* * *

><p>Several hours, hugs and emotional break downs from his mother later Kurt found himself in front of the new school.<p>

"It's really not impressive at all." Lauren mumbled glaring at the large building.

"What do you mean? We've been looking at it for years, our old school is just over there." Mercedes said gesturing over her shoulder.

"I just thought it would feel different today." the bigger girl shrugged.

"I just want my cheerio uniform so I can become the queen and rule this place." Becky added.

Had they felt any excitement about the new school it soon would have faded as they realized they did not share any classes until lunch. Mercedes and Lauren shared their first lesson and Lauren and Becky shared the next, Kurt did not share with either of them. His shoulders slumped as he waved good bye to his girls and trotted off to chemistry, maybe he would at least get to see Blaine.

As third period rolled around the older boy still failed to make an appearance and Kurt felt more and more discouraged. He missed his friends, so far the only person who had even been remotely friendly to him was a girl called Sugar who in Kurt's eyes dressed like a giant cupcake, a vision that was only enhanced by the strawberry earrings she was wearing.

Maybe Blaine had been lying and did not go to McKinley at all. Maybe he was a spy from some fancy private school glee club and he had tricked Artie into inviting him to his birthday party. Kurt was so deep in thought he forgot to check where he was going and promptly walked into another person.

"Oops. Sorry! Are you okay?" he stumbled much worse than the other boy but still apologized and tried to check for any harm done. He held his breath and stilled his hands when he recognized the other boy. "Karofsky."

Something flickered in the other boy's eyes, definitely recognition, but Kurt thought he saw something else, something he could not place.

"Get out of my way, homo!" Karofsky had recovered and shoved the younger boy hard against the row of lockers causing him to fall.

Kurt was shocked by the violent outburst but even more so by the reaction it caused, all of the other students suddenly seemed in a hurry to get somewhere or incredibly fascinated by the contents of their lockers. Except for a few smirking jocks nobody dared to look at the young boy on the floor.

Blaine winced upon hearing the younger boy make impact with the lockers. That must have hurt. His heart ached when he saw the stunned impression on Kurt's face. The poor kid was surely in for a rough day. He wanted to go over to him give him a hug and take him away but instead he stayed hidden around the corner not allowing himself to be seen. Why could he not just go up to him? They were friends, were they not? He hoped they were but then his mind took him back to the day of the party.

* * *

><p>He had been watching Kurt sing, unable to hide a big grin, the boy was amazing. Then suddenly he had been surrounded by a group of people he recognized as the Schuester siblings and a tanned man with a mohawk had led them away from the other party guests insisting they have a little talk.<p>

"What's your name?"

"Blaine." he winced at how his voice betrayed him and shook.

"Okay, Blaine. My name is Puck and I have a few questions for you. Is that alright.?"

The boy wanted nothing more than get away but he simply nodded in reply.

"Are you gay?"

"What?" Were they going to beat him up?

"That's our baby brother up there on that stage and we can see the way you look at him. So we want to know if you're gay." the beautiful latina said.

Blaine steeled himself. He had experienced hatred and violence in his young life but he had also promised to never deny who he was.

"Yes, I am." he said, proud of his voice not betraying him this time.

"That's so good for you!" Brittany applauded.

Santana laid a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"We have nothing against gay people." Artie continued.

"We just want to know about your intentions regarding our little brother." Finn added.

"My intentions?"

"I saw you guys in his room." Sam supplied.

"We were only talking."

"There were clothes on the floor."

The girls and Artie gasped.

"None we had been wearing! He was only showing me his wardrobe!"

"Kurt would never let his clothes touch the floor!" Brittany said.

"What did you guys talk about?" Santana wanted to know.

"Nothing… I dunno… we were just getting to know each other…"

Blaine stopped himself when Puck raised an eyebrow. That guy looked so intimidating.

"I think it would be nice for Kurt to have another Dolphin as a friend." Brittany said.

Everyone looked at the girl thinking this over, they seemed to agree.

"Do you want to be his friend?" Sam asked.

"Yes, I do." Blaine blushed when he realized what he had just sounded like and Santana could not help but snicker.

"Okay, you can be his friend, but don't think we aren't watching you." Finn said.

"Yeah, most of us know what it's like to be a sixteen year old boy and that's our baby brother over there. Our fourteen year old, innocent brother, you hear me? And we'd like him to stay that way."

"Fourteen?" Blaine tried to smile but quickly realized this was not the time for jokes.

Santana simply rolled her eyes and walked off with Brittany. Sam and Artie followed them, but the two oldest brothers stayed behind eying the curly haired boy closely.

"We are serious. You hurt him - we hurt you. You make him cry - we crush you. You break his heart - we break you. And if you try anything he's not ready for we'll make you wish you'd never been born."

"We only just met…" Blaine started but the two men were already walking off.

He looked back to the stage where Kurt was currently taking a bow beaming at the applause he was receiving. He wanted nothing more than walk up to the boy, but instead he turned around and made his way home.

* * *

><p>Blaine's heart ached as he watched Kurt get up from the floor in front of the lockers, he was still debating going up to the younger boy but before he could make a decision something interesting happened.<p>

Kurt looked around and something about him seemed to change, the way he carried himself, the position of his shoulders. He brushed some invisible dust of his clothes and straightened his whole body. He held his head high and a cold aura seemed to gather around him. This was not a boy to be approached as he swiftly walked away.

Blaine sighed. Had he just missed his opportunity?

It was several hours later when he got to see the boy again. He was walking proudly several feet ahead of him in the hall when he suddenly stopped. Blaine could see Mrs. Schuester at the end of the hall, she did not seem to have spotted her son yet, but the boy certainly had noticed her because he swiftly turned and was now walking right towards Blaine.

Blaine wondered what he was supposed to do. Run? Hide? Or maybe just say hi and pretend nothing had happened. Their eyes met but before either of them could react a harsh voice cut through their thoughts.

"This is for you, little ice queen!"

Blaine saw it coming before Kurt did but there was nothing he could do. He winced and closed his eyes as the contents of several slushy cups were thrown at the younger boy. He could hear the faint gasp as the ice cold liquid hit the pale skin on his face.

When he opened his eyes his heart broke for the teen now covered in red die, furiously wiping at his face. Their eyes met again but before he could react Kurt raised his head high and stalked off to the nearest bathroom.

Blaine decided to follow but when the door closed behind the freshman he realized he had chosen the girls' room.

What was he supposed to do?

* * *

><p><em>AN: Thanks to everyone for the kind reviews, PMs and tweets. I love hearing from you! You rock!<em>

_I had to make a cut here but I promise the next chapter will be up soon! Even though we all know my promises aren't worth shit ! ;-P_

_So what should Blaine do? Follow Kurt? Wait outside? Leave? I already know but what do you think?  
><em>

_Oh btw.. I will be 18 in 12 days and all I want for my birthday is my own Chris Colfer.. so if anyone knows how to get me one..._


	60. Chapter 60: Frozen

aye.. I know.. I'm sorry..

* * *

><p>It seemed like months had passed since Kurt Hummel had disappeared into the girls' bathroom to wash the remains of several slushies off his face and out of his previously perfectly styled hair.<p>

Blaine alternated between pacing up and down the hall, standing in front of the closed door with a raised fist and coming ever so close to actually knocking, and running his hands through his hair before starting all over again. He made a frustrated noise as he tried to wipe some gel off his hands. What the hell was wrong with this school? The hallway had been crowded just seconds ago and now he was almost expecting some tumbleweed to be blown across it. Had nobody noticed what had just happened? Had nobody seen that wonderful young boy be so utterly humiliated?

Of course they had seen! Blaine balled his fists and came close to punching one of the lockers he passed. They just did not care! Not one of them had cared enough to stop and make sure the boy was okay. They simply hurried to their classrooms, probably forgetting what they had witnessed as soon as they crossed the thresholds.

Another pace, this time including a kick against one of the lockers. The boy briefly wondered if one of the teachers would come running out of their classrooms and give him detention for kicking an inanimate object. He let out a bitter laugh. Wouldn't it be ironic if it were okay to push around a human being but kicking metal got you in trouble?

He passed the bathroom door once more and listened. There had been water running the last few dozen times he had done it but this time he heard nothing but silence. He wondered what the younger teen was doing on the other side. Was he as angry as Blaine was? Or was he scared and sad? Maybe even crying?

"I can't leave him alone in there." the teen decided and raised his fist to actually knock this time. "Kurt?" he asked tentatively, wincing at how hoarse his voice sounded.

There was no reply. He was just about to knock again when a high voice interrupted him, leaving his hand raised in mid air.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing there, Romeo?"

Blaine turned to see two very angry looking girls making their way towards him.

"Uhm… I … I was… just… uhm…" he wanted to slap himself for how inarticulate he sounded, but these girls could surely take him in a fight and they did look like they were ready for one.

"Very interesting." the brunette replied, raising one eyebrow behind her thick pair glasses. "But unless you brought Gandalf with you to tell us we can't pass- you better move it, hobbit."

Unable to come up with a reply and cursing himself for it Blaine stepped aside and watched the girls disappear into the bathroom, he didn't even manage to catch a glimpse of the boy inside.

What was he supposed to do now? Should he just leave? He had already missed half of his English lesson and was bound to get in trouble for it. He walked up to the row of lockers and pressed his forehead against the cool metal.

"Get your head together, Anderson. If you want him to think you're a fool you're doing one hell of a great job!" he hissed before banging his head against the locker and turning around to slide towards the floor. He chose to wait.

It took several minutes, that again felt like months to him, before anything happened. Then the door finally opened. Kurt walked out with his hair coiffed like nothing had ever happened. He was wearing a McKinley High School shirt and Blaine briefly wondered how the girls had known to bring it to him. Probably the same way they had known where to find their friend, something as simple as a text would have done the job, dumbass. Get your brain to work! As he was still beating himself up over his sudden lack of intelligence the other boy began to walk past him without as much as a glance., holding his head high like the simple gym shirt came from Marc Jacobs' latest collection.

"Kurt." the older teen called out, struggling to get off the floor.

The blue-eyed boy did not look his way, instead he allowed his dark-skinned friend to wrap an arm around him and steer him down the empty hallway, disappearing around the corner.

Finally having managed to gain control of his legs and raising himself off the dirty floor Blaine took a step to follow them but found his path blocked by the other boy's second friend.

"He does not want to talk to you." the girl said crossing her arms.

"But… why?" the boy furrowed his thick eyebrows.

"You really need to ask? Kid, you're even dumber than I thought." she laughed.

"Hey! I'm older than you." he pouted.

"Yeah and you're also an idiot!"

Blaine opened his mouth to protest but was silenced by the younger but bigger teen taking a step towards him.

"He really liked you, you know. He thought you were friends! And you chose to ignore him all summer and perfected it into the most pathetic game of hide and seek in the halls today! Why?"

The boy swallowed, if this girl had noticed him avoiding her friend, had Kurt seen it as well? He tried to come up with a good reason to explain but they all suddenly seemed so silly he just couldn't force a single one over his lips.

"Thought so." the girl scowled. "It's your loss, dude. If you have a chance with Kurt Hummel and you don't seize it the very second it appears? That makes you nothing but a fool."

"Just let me talk to him."

"Do you think you can explain?"

Blaine grimaced.

"You're gonna leave him alone." the girl continued. "If he comes to you? - Fine. But you are not gonna make things even harder for him than they already are, hear me?"

The boy nodded and the girl turned around to walk in the direction her friends had left only a minute earlier.

"I really like him!" the dark-haired teen called after her.

"Of course you do! Who wouldn't?" she replied without turning around.

Blaine was left with his mouth open. He may be stupid but there was one thing he now knew for sure. If he wanted Kurt Hummel he would have to fight for him.

* * *

><p>Emma Schuester sat in her small office scrubbing away at a beautiful little picture frame. Her youngest son had given her this treasure on the first mother's day they had ever spent together. Of course like every school kid his age he had made something for her in school - another picture frame decorated with macaroni that she kept on her vanity desk at home. He had cried for a full week leading up to mother's day because he was so embarrassed by the macaroni art - even though it was crafted beautifully and showed his talent, until finally Will had taken him shopping and he had spent all of his allowance on the pretty little object she was polishing now.<p>

Inside the frame she kept a picture of the two of them. It had been taken only a few weeks after the little boy had come to live with them. It showed him and his new mother after one of their beloved baking / bonding sessions. They were both covered in flour and chocolate sauce, yet Emma was beaming at the camera as the little boy in her arms kissed her cheek.

The guidance counselor paused in her cleaning and threw the polishing wipe away. Instead she picked up photo after photo on her desk, examining them and all the smiling faces they pictured. Her perfect, happy little family.

She had fully expected this to be a hard day for her, yet it had hit a little harder than she would have thought. Another two of her children out of the house to go to college and her youngest starting high school. She felt so old, she had spent half of the morning examining her ginger mane for grey hair.

"You look more beautiful than ever." her husband had reassured her while kissing her head.

And it was true, for a woman approaching her fiftieth birthday she looked remarkable and she had not found a single grey hair, while her husband's head was now completely covered in them. She thought it made him look very sexy.

The mother's thought returned to her youngest child, wondering how he was doing. She had been trying to catch a glimpse of him in the hallways all day but it seemed like he had finally mastered the power of invisibility and it frustrated her greatly.

"Will and the older kids probably told him to hide from me." she thought, remembering how embarrassed Finn and Puck had been when she had greeted them with hugs and kisses on their cheeks on their first high school day. She could not help but get emotional. High School was a huge step for a child, one more big step towards independence and away from their mother's arms.

She looked at the door and wished her son could just walk through it now telling her about his day. Once he had become comfortable enough to speak in front of his family little Kurt had turned into quite the talker, always having something to tell his parents and siblings. And when he had not experienced anything worthy of talking about all day he had simply started to make up stories of his own. Beautiful and complicated tales with characters so complex that Emma had begged him to write some of them down for her. Her husband called the box she kept the little scripts and drabbles in the perfect blackmail material for when the boy got older, but she was so proud of his talent she hoped he would never be embarrassed by it.

"Mrs. Schuester?"

The woman was torn from her thoughts by her next appointment.

"Oh David. I'm sorry, please come in."

She would just have to wait until dinner to hear about her son's first high school adventures.

* * *

><p>In the meantime Kurt had told his two best friends about his horrible day and they had shown the appropriate amount of sympathy, comforting him as well as possible.<p>

"At least we only got the Glee Club meeting left and then we can go home." Mercedes supplied.

"I'm not feeling particularly gleeful today." Kurt replied and watched the young diva kick Lauren for snorting.

"You saying you want to skip?" the bigger girl said without showing any sign of even noticing the kick. "because I would be all for it but I really want to talk to the wrestling coach here."

"No way. You can't skip Glee!" Mercedes gasped.

"I just really want to be alone right now."

"But what about your parents? I'm pretty sure your Dad will notice if you don't show up since the two of us and Artie and Tina are probably going to be the only members."

"I'll think of something. I just need to get away right now." the boy replied as he got up and started to walk away.

The girls exchanged a look of defeat.

* * *

><p>Kurt had only managed a five minute walk away from school when he noticed a car slowing down next to him. He started walking faster but sopped when he heard a male voice call out to him.<p>

"Hey kiddo! Do you need a ride?"

Wait, he knew that voice. But it could not be, could it?

"Finn?" he was truly surprised to see his oldest brother who was supposed to be away at college right now. "What are you doing here? Don't you have classes you should be at?"

"Well, I guess I could say the same thing about you." the older boy said flashing a crooked smile. "Come on, get in the car and I'll explain.

The teen climbed into the car and looked at his brother expectantly.

"I couldn't sleep last night." the young man explained while rubbing his neck. "I just kept thinking about how cruel that school can be and I really wanted to be there for you in case you had a bad day. I got so worried that by the time for breakfast Sam kicked me out saying I should just drive here and see for myself. Oh, he also said to give you this."

He hugged his little brother close.

"Santana also told me give you a kiss from her but we'll just agree to tell her I did it, okay?"

Kurt smiled and nodded as his brother hugged him again.

"Slushy?" he asked as he examined the simple shirt his kid brother was wearing.

"Several actually." the boy replied looking down.

"I was afraid that would happen and then when Mercedes called us…"

"Wait, Cedes called you?"

"Yes, about ten minutes ago. Did you know you can make conference calls on your phone?"

"Yes, Finn. Who did she call?"

"Me, Puck, Santana, Sam, Brittany, Artie, Tina, Rachel and Quinn." the young man listed. "Puck was gonna come to find you right away but I told him I was already almost at the school and he should just go and get us lots of food. Because that's what helps me when I'm upset and Rachel told us to get ice cream because it's soul food or something."

Kurt winced at the thought of ice cream.

"Please I really don't want to eat anything that's frozen right now."

"Okay, nothing frozen, got it," he reached for his phone. "Puck… Yes, I got him… Yes, he's okay. .. No, no black eye or bruises - … you don't have any bruises do you?" he said turning to the passenger seat.

Kurt shook his head.

"He got slushied, so now he does not want to eat anything that's frozen….. I dunno… maybe she got that soul thing wrong… okay… wait… " he turned to Kurt again "What would you like to eat?"

"Sushi." the boy replied after thinking for a few seconds.

"He wants sushi… what… how would I know?" he looked to his little brother for help. "Is that the fishy stuff?"

The teen nodded, biting his lip trying not to laugh at his goofy brothers.

"Yes, fish…. you'll find it... I'm sure... just pretend you're doing it to impress a girl…"

He hung up and beamed at Kurt.

"Let's go home."

They arrived to find Brittany already waiting for them there, hugging her kid brother tightly.

"Artie called, he wants you to know that in case Mum or Dad ask you later you got a bad tummy ache and I picked you up and drove you here, okay?"

"Okay." the boy mumbled into her shoulder.

"And you better call Santana soon. I had to talk her out of coming here like fifty times in the last ten minutes."

"Food's here!" Puck yelled as he walked through the door. He too wrapped his little brother in the tightest hug before proudly handing him his food.

"That's a burger." Kurt said upon unwrapping it.

"It's fish." his brother replied.

"It's a fish burger."

"So?"

"You do know that's not Sushi, right?"

"It's food. Eat it."

And Kurt did. He ate the greasiest burger and fries he had allowed himself in years and was sure his skin was going to suffer for it. But sitting there with his siblings and Quinn and Beth who arrived a short while after it felt like the right thing to do.

"Thank you." he said hugging Finn goodbye.

"You're welcome, little bro. Us Schuester Misfits? We got to stick together."

"You're a great big brother."

The young man beamed at the compliment, flashing his dimples.

"Now you better go before Mum and Dad get here."

When the rest of the family arrived home that day Kurt was already tucked into bed, not even having to pretend to have a stomach ache. He did not want to know where Noah had gotten that evil burger from, he would simply never touch one again.

* * *

><p>The next morning his parents asked him if he needed to stay at home another day but he decided to face his demons and not hide away.<p>

"Don't you want to ask me anything about Glee Club?" Artie asked as they made their way towards their lockers.

"What do you mean?" Kurt replied blushing, had his brother read his mind and knew he was wondering if Blaine had been there?

"He didn't show." Mercedes supplied from his other side.

Damn his best friend and her knowing him so well. Kurt just shrugged and scowled in reply. Why should he care if the boy had been there. He obviously did not care about him.

"Only very few people came." Artie continued deciding to ignore his brother acting like he had been caught. "So Dad came up with this idea. We are gonna have a big show this Friday. Everyone who is interested in joining Glee has to come to the auditorium and perform a song on the big stage. He thinks a lot of people will show up to watch and maybe even be inspired to sign up."

"Or laugh at us." Tina whispered.

Kurt ignored her. He did not hear the rest of the conversation. Right now only one thing mattered: he knew exactly which song he wanted to sing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I really just want to thank every single one of you for still believing in me and this story.<strong>


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